


What Could And Shouldn't Have Been

by call_it_a_miracle



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Season/Series 13, Angelic Trueforms, Blood and Torture, Castiel is an amazing dad, Everyone Has Issues, F/M, Family Feels, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, M/M, Multiple Universes Colliding, Protective John Winchester, Sam Ships It, Season/Series 13 Spoilers, Slow Burn, seriously, very slow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-02-20 12:15:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 80,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13146504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/call_it_a_miracle/pseuds/call_it_a_miracle
Summary: Sam and Dean are stuck in their interdimensional travel haze, leaving no choice to the newly formed Wayward Sisters but to come to the rescue, learning that every curse can be turned into a gift.Meanwhile Castiel is left to deal with Asmodeus, who'll do anything to get to Jack, even if that means jumping between universes and pretending to be a pitiful, whiny angel.And Lucifer, well, he's hellbent on finding a way to stop Michael. But what happens when his plans include breaking a few scales and owing some therapy sessions to the Winchesters in the process?This is my view on what i would love to have on the second half of Season 13 even though i know 90% of this won't happen, at all. But that's what fanfic is all about, right?





	1. A trip to Monsterland

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language and i don't have a beta reader so please be patient. I'll try to post the complete story before the second part of Season 13 airs, but i can't promise anything. 
> 
> As i'm writing this during the hollidays, it will include some crack elements caused by alchohol induced madness, you have been warned. Enjoy!

Of course things had to somehow go wrong. If Dean had the chance he would tear Murphy a new one. Finally things were starting to look up for them: they had Cas back, Jack wasn’t really a murderous sociopath, his mom was alive and they had an actual lead on her whereabouts… But, as luck would have it, they had to get trapped in Purgatory: Take Two. And this time instead of an angel clad in psych ward gear and a vampire with an accent he had his moose of a brother who, thinking about it, didn’t seem as freaked out as Dean felt at the moment.

“Dude what the hell?!” Dean said, turning hopelessly to Sam.

“I don’t know” Sam was looking around trying to get a good idea of their surroundings, instinctively looking for a possible escape hatch. A distant hawk-like screech echoed in the distance. 

Both brothers were currently standing on what looked like a gigantic reptile monster footprint, claws and all. Trees surrounded the area, trapping them in the middle of a creepy forest.

“I mean really? Dinosaurs?! Is this what we’ve come to?!” He flinched as another screech broke the air.

“I don’t think these are dinosaurs, Dean. This footprint is too big… besides, Kaia did call them monsters. I think she’s very capable of distinguishing a dinosaur from a monster”

“Yeah because dinos are a daily life struggle” The sudden sound of rustling followed by another collection of screeches left them eager to flee the scene. 

“We should-” Dean started to say but a deep growl interrupted him. 

“Yeah, let’s go” Sam agreed before they both climbed out of the footprint and sprinted into the forest, not even noticing that the portal was still dangerously open. Staying within arms reach from one another they ran, sidestepping trees from left to right, the distant sounds of screeching and rustling encouraging them to run faster. 

Sam didn’t know how long they’d been running for but eventually the only sound they could hear was their ragged breathing and the crunching of leaves and tree branches under their feet. He turned to Dean, who seemed to be on the same page as him as they both slowed down until they came to a stop in front of a weird rock formation.

The forest was quiet. _Too quiet_. They exchanged worried looks. There was nothing to be seen around them besides trees, dirt and rocks. 

“How are we supposed to get out of this one?” Dean whispered, still being cautions of the sudden silence. Sam looked at him, his brain formulating sentences along the lines of _‘do i look like an interdimensional travel guide to you?’_ but they all got stuck at the back of his throat along with his heart as a figure approached Dean from behind. His mouth opened and closed in a fish-like manner trying to formulate a warning for the older hunter but his wide eyes gave it all away. Dean slowly reached down to his belt where one of his knives was nestled and quickly turned around, swinging at the creature. 

His knife sunk dryly into the thing’s body. Dean looked at it and recognized what could be a human if it weren’t for the glowing golden eyes staring back at him. Dean took a couple steps back and reached for his gun, Sam already pulling the safety from his. The creature made a humming noise before reaching down and pulling at the knife. The puncture wound closed up immediately. The hunters stared at the thing as it looked back up at them, it’s head tilting in a curious manner that reminded them a little too much of their best friend.

“Humans?”

~~~

The phone rang on the coffee table. Jody sighed and paused Netflix, reaching over to grab the thing before if vibrated off the table. She looked at the caller ID but it displayed an unknown number. Who could be calling her at 11pm on a saturday?

“Ugh do you really have to get that?” Donna asked from the couch across from her. “It’s our day off”

“Well you know what they say about the law never taking breaks” she looked back at her phone and answered “Hello?”

“Sheriff Jody Mills?” the voice on the other end sounded young and on edge.

Jody frowned “Yes, who is this?”.

“It’s me, Patience”

“Patience? Hey, is everything ok?” Jody stood up from her comfortable place in the sofa, worry slowly creeping up on her.

“Who’s Patience?” Donna asked through a mouthful of popcorn. 

“Yes, I-” Patience cut herself off with a sigh “No, i’m not”

“What’s wrong?” Jody asked, pacing around her living room.

“I had a vision. Sam and Dean are in trouble” Jody felt her heart sink to her feet. Those boys were always getting themselves in trouble, but Patience sounded very disturbed by it. Yes, she knew Patience was new to the supernatural world but her motherly instincts always went crazy with those boys. 

“What kind of trouble?” Jody asked. 

“I-I don’t know. There was a boy and a girl and a bright light” A car started up in the background “Then they were in this forest, and these monsters were following them” 

“The boy, what did he look like?” 

“Is it that Jack fella?” Donna whispered and Jody shrugged at her.

“Young, like early twenties. Dirty blonde hair, golden eyes” Jody nodded to herself, thinking this could be Jack. The boys had been looking for him last time they checked in with her.

“And the girl?”

“I don’t know, kind of my age? Tan skin, curly brown hair and brown eyes” Ok, the girl didn’t sound familiar.

“You got any locations?” Jody asked, already reaching for a change of clothes and car keys.

“Yes but Jody?”

“Yes?”

“Can i come with you? I just- my dad…” 

Jody’s hurried steps came to a halt. “What is it? Is he ok?” 

“Yeah he just- he kicked me out” Patience’s voice trembled “And i don’t have anywhere else to go” 

And so Jody gave her the address, Patience promised to be there in a couple hours tops and Jody agreed to wait for her, still reluctant to let her come with her since she was unfamiliar with hunting but understanding that the distraction might be more than welcome.

“What was that?” Donna asked her. Jody explained everything, from the ghoul case with Dean a couple days back to Patience’s vision. 

“Well i guess our girls’ weekend plans have changed” Donna said, disappointedly. She’d been looking forward to a relaxing time with her friend after a very stressful vengeful spirit almost got the best of her. Being a huntress in training wasn’t all that fun but she enjoyed the job. After all, she was a sheriff and bringing bad peeps to justice was her passion. And if she got to chop off some heads, well, that’s just a nice plus. 

Less than an hour later Jody gets another call, this time from Claire. 

“Hey is everything ok?” Jody asks. Claire had been hunting by herself the last couple of months and doing a great job so far. She got some lessons from Sam on how to use fake identities and got some self defence training from Jody and voila. Claire Novak: Pro Huntress officially entered the business.

“Yeah just finished that salt n’ burn a couple towns over” 

“Was it fun?” Jody asked, a small smile on her lips. “Oh, Donna says hi” 

“A bit too easy if you ask me. Was hoping to kick some Casper ass” Jody’s smile widened. “How’s the girls weekend thing?”

“Good while it lasted” Jody sighed “You might wanna come back here. We’ll need your help” A couple months ago she wouldn’t have mentioned this at all, but since then she’s learned to let Claire be who she wants to be, fully supporting her on her choices. And if that involves them going to scary monster land, then so be it. 

“What is it?”

“Sam and Dean are in trouble” 

“Yeah well when are they not” Claire rolled her eyes hard enough for them to audibly roll through the sound waves. 

“This time’s different though. We might have to pull their lame asses out of the fire ourselves” she then proceeded to tell her about Patience and her vision, how she thought Jack was involved as well as the last place they knew the boys had been in.

“An abandoned boat? Really?” Claire said as she grabbed another bite from the gas station burrito she had been munching on. “Those guys have a fetish for abandoned places or something?”

~~~

The boys just stared at the creature, definitely not expecting for it to talk. It was short, barely reaching Dean’s shoulders. Long, filthy dark hair, ebony skin covered in dirt and old rags that once could’ve been descent clothes. It definitely looked human, but those eyes… 

“Y-you…” Sam stuttered “Are you a nephilim?”

The thing’s eyes got impossibly brighter. “How do you know? How are you still alive? And why haven’t i seen either of you before?” 

“That’s none of your-” No way Dean was gonna play 20 questions with some random nephilim in Monsterland. No, they had to find a way out of there before one of those monsters eats them. That being if this nephilim-thing doesn’t eat them first. But it seemed Sam has other priorities.

“My name is Sam, this is my brother Dean” he explained “We’re from another universe. Our friend, a nephilim like you, brought us here by accident. Perhaps you know how to help us go back?” he looked at the nephilim with kind eyes, hoping to use some sympathy and earn himself a ticket back home.

“I-” the nephilim was interrupted by an ear-splitting screech followed by what sounded like thunder. The three of them looked up just in time to see a flash of purple lightning flashing above the tall trees. “Come on, let’s go somewhere safe first” 

Sam turned to look at Dean before he started following the nephilim.

“No! No way we’re followi-” another loud screech and some rustling echoed closer to them.

“Dean we don’t really have a choice here” Sam said, already following the nephilim around the rock formation.

“Fine” Dean said. He was going to add _‘but if this bites us in the ass later it’s all your fault’_ but more rustling had him eagerly following Sam and the creature. 

~~~

“So you’re a psychic?” Claire asked. Her and Patience sat in Jody’s backseat while her and Donna sat in the front. The fully stocked truck moved through the rain barely breaking the speed limit, the afternoon sun shining dimly through the clouds.

“Yeah” Patience said, picking at a loose thread on her jacket.

“What’s that like?” Claire asked, leaning comfortably against the seat. 

“It’s… weird. I see things before they happen. Sometimes i can even prevent it all from happening” she explained, looking up at Claire “I got it from my grandma”

“Your gift seems to be much more powerful than your grandma’s though” Jody chimed in from the driver’s seat. “Dean explained to me that she sensed energies from things, you just seem to get them out of nowhere” 

“Wow, that’s cool” Claire said. 

“I just wish my dad had told me the truth about her” Patience said, reaching inside her jacket pocket and taking out the crystal Missouri gave her when she was younger. 

There was silence and then a sigh “Look i don’t know what happened” said Claire, turning to Patience “But i do know a little something about feeling lost, alone. And i can tell you you’re not alone, not anymore” Patience gave her a small smile as Claire reached down and squeezed her arm. 

“She’s right, you’re one of us now” said Donna “Go girl power!”

“Let’s kick some ass and save some boys” Jody smiled and pressed her foot harder on the gas.

~~~

They ran for a couple minutes until they reached a cave, lost in the middle of the woods. 

“A creepy cave? Really?” Dean complained.

“You’re humans, this is the safest place you can be” said the nephilim.

“And how did you know where to find us?!” asked Dean.

“I felt a strong disturbance not too far from where i was. As you can see, not many interesting things happen around here so i thought it’d be worth it to go look” 

“So can you tell us who are you and what’s going on here?” asked Sam as they entered the cave. 

“My name’s Brooklyn” the nephilim said as she pressed her hand against the cave wall, suddenly lighting up the torches that hung at the sides “A couple decades ago humans lived peacefully. There was never any sort of conflict, and everything was solved with democracy. They learned to keep sins locked deep down and enjoyed life being kind to one another after thousands of years plagued with war, hunger, and pain left them with no other choice. All in the name of survival” they reached the bottom of the cave where something akin to a bed and a sofa laid covered in more rags. What once was a TV served as a table holding old books and knick knacks. 

“But then the apocalypse was released unto the world. My father, and many other angels tried to stop it but all their efforts were useless. Lucifer killed every single human on the planet, followed by demons, werewolves, djinns, ghouls, vampires, any creature that resembled a human was extinct in less than a month until only angelic beings remained. And then the archangel Michael was able to return him to his cage. Since then all angelic creatures aimlessly roam the earth, living in the paradise our father made for humans, since there is nothing else left to enjoy it”

“So those things…” Dean said.

“They’re angels. All in their true forms since there are no true vessels left. That’s why it’s not safe for you to be out there, they can be overwhelming to you”

“Why are you hiding?” Sam asked. 

“Nephilim are not allowed to exist. The only reason i’m still alive is because i was created during the war, and now angels see no purpose in hunting me down, though i’m pretty sure they would, given the chance” a screech echoed loudly through the cave, making the boys cover their ears and groan in pain. 

“Are you sure nothing can get us here?” Dean asked. 

“I’m sure. My father warded it himself” said Brooklyn. 

“Who’s your father?” Sam asked. 

“Gabriel, the archangel” 

“So you have the juice to bring us back to our world?” Dean asked, hope slowly rising.

“I’m… not sure. I’ve never opened one before” Brooklyn looked up at the boys, determination strong on her face “But i can try, even if i don’t know where to start”

“Why would you help us?” Sam asked. He wanted to ask many more questions, like what happened to Gabriel in this universe? Is there an alternative version of Castiel out there? Is God around?, but he knew this couldn’t be easy for Brooklyn. Having met Jack and experiencing his strong emotions and feelings he knew Brooklyn was just another person living in impossible circumstances. 

“I’m still part human, and even if i never got the chance to get to know humans better, i feel like i owe something to humanity” Brooklyn looked up at the hunters “Besides, i have nothing better to do at the moment” she gave them both a small smile and Sam could feel Dean relaxing a bit. 

“Well let’s do this” said Dean, rubbing his hands together.

“How did your friend open the portal?” Brooklyn asked.

“We don’t know for sure” said Sam “He had a way to travel through dimensions in his head but he couldn’t exactly see what was going on in these universes”

“He used a dreamwalker” Dean added “He locked onto her head and used her to see through her eyes, that way he found the correct universe. Though this girl had some serious issues with this place and at the time we were being attacked by angels. He got distracted and dropped us in here”

“So you say he can travel in his head?” Sam nodded “I think i may be able to do that”

“Great” Dean clapped his hands in front of him, the impact echoing through the cave “Let’s do it”

“There’s a minor problem” said Brooklyn. 

“What is it?” asked Sam.

“As i said before, this cave is warded. I cannot have access to my grace here. We’d have to find another location for me to use it whilst making sure not to attract the attention of the angels”

“Well that’s just fantastic”

~~~

They were getting closer and closer to the portal’s location when suddenly they spotted a particularly young hijacker on the side of the road. 

“That’s the girl from my vision” Patience said and Jody quickly pulled over. The girl looked distressed, her clothes covered in mud and hair a mess, she walked up to Donna’s window.

“Hey can you get me to the nearest town please?” she asked. 

“Yeah sure but-” Donna started.

“Kaia” Patience interrupted from the backseat “We need your help”

“Oh hell no” Kaia said, backing off from Jody’s truck and walking back along the highway.

“Wait!” Patience quickly got out of the truck, jogging towards Kaia. “Please, this is an emergency”

“Look” Kaia said, turning to her. Her arms crossed, closing herself off “I’ve been kidnapped, and thrown into some stupid nonsense with fucking satan’s son and scary ass women in pantsuits so whatever you’re gonna say, the answer is no. Now please leave me alone”

Patience sighed “Kaia, i know this is hard. Hell, less than a month ago i thought i was just having nightmares” she said, her eyes traveling through the distance where the faint light of sunlight indicated the start of another day “But this is important. Sam and Dean, the guys you took to the bad place, we need to get them back”

“Why? They were stupid enough to want to travel through realities in the first place” 

“Yeah but now they’re in real trouble. They got stuck in ‘the bad place’ and if we don’t help them soon they could die in there, or worse”

“I just woke up in the middle of nowhere. Excuse me, but i don’t want to end up dead and i definitely do not want anything to do with ‘the bad place’. Besides, how the fuck do you know all this?”

“I’m psychic” Patience explained “I know what it’s like to feel like you’re cursed. I’ve seen people i care about die, people think i’m crazy when i mention something and moments later it happens. I know how hard it is, yet i also know this gift can be used for good. We can do good in this world”

Jack’s words echo in Kaia’s head. She bites her lip, gears moving in her head. 

She wants to believe that she can do good. That there is some purpose to her life rather than having to drug herself numb in order to be able to escape the curse. But the scars on her arms and the night terrors that haunt her tell her that she can never escape, that she was born to suffer. 

But what if this girl’s right? What if she doesn’t have to suffer anymore? Honestly, she would give anything not to have to feel the shame and general sickness of waking up after an overdose, not again. She can’t keep living like this. With Derek gone, she’s got no one to talk to, no one to understand her. Maybe this is her way out.

“Fine. I’ll do it”


	2. Your Little Door to Paradise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angelic trueforms can be a big pain in the ass sometimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit shorter than the first chapter but i'm trying here, please don't give up on me. 
> 
> This work has no beta read, sorry for any terrible grammar/spelling mistakes.

He looked around, the crackling sound of thunder and lightning stunning him in place, almost overwhelming enough to drown the loud friction of metal against rusty metal right next to him. He looked around desperately but there was no sign of the hunters. He was alone.

“Who are you?” a weak, soft voice spat in his direction. 

Mary stood trapped in a body cage surrounded by pointy metal peaks that scarred and stabbed her skin raw with every breath she took. She was bone-deep exhausted, hungry and dehydrated. Her throat burned from calling out for help for hours on end until she finally gave up and danced around the thin thread of consciousness for what seemed like an eternity when suddenly a blinding light and the sound of a body falling brought her back from the brink. 

“I’m… Jack” the boy said, slowly standing up “I’m here to rescue you, Mary”

“No. You can’t be” She couldn’t believe it. How long had she been in that cage? Jack had just been born when she died. Granted, she hadn’t seen the baby at the time but she was too worried about her own boys going against Lucifer to really give it much thought. But now, looking at this young adult in his early 20’s she started to panic. Could she really go back after another 20 years? 

“Yes, i am. I promise” Jack said, trying to sound reassuring. 

“How long have i been here?” she asked, her voice trembling with the threat of tears.

“Five weeks, three days, seventeen hours and 22 minutes” Jack answered. 

Oh. “But you’re not a baby” was all she could get out of her mouth. Thousands of questions drowned her brain and not even her lifetime of hunter training was able to keep her coherent. 

“No, i’m not” he examined the cage, slowly reaching a hand towards the metal locks that kept it sealed. “My mother said this world was dangerous. I knew i couldn’t be weak, defenseless. So i grew up” he explained. Then, his eyes turned bright gold and the locks fell on a clatter to the floor, resembling the loud thunder and lightning from outside. Strangely, Mary didn’t feel threatened by it, even when her deepest instincts screamed at her to run, escape. She sighed as the cage fell open and she collapsed on Jack’s arms, who barely struggled to lay her on the floor. 

“Can you heal me?” Mary knew she wouldn’t be able to escape in the state she was in and her trust in the creature before her didn’t reach such lengths that would allow her to let him carry her back home. Besides, she wasn’t a damsel in distress, she could well manage her own escape as soon as her physical condition allowed it and, even if it didn’t, she would still try because she was stubborn like that.

“I- I don’t know” Jack said, looking at the multiple lacerations on her arms. “I’ve watched my father heal human wounds but i’m not sure i can replicate his actions”

Mary tensed up at the mention of the word ‘father’. “Lucifer” she couldn’t help but mutter breathlessly, fear quickly crawling through her being. 

“No, no” Jack said, laying a gentle hand on her forearm. “Castiel. I chose Castiel to be my father”

“Cas? But… he’s dead” her voice trembled as the chilling memory of the angel blade impaling her boy’s chest burned in her mind. She barely witnessed it, but the couple seconds of bright light blinding her temporarily just to die away as Castiel’s body collapsed on the ground, wing prints burned on the sand were enough to create a strong print on her brain. She remembered the devastating feeling soon replaced with raw anger as she charged at Lucifer, defending her sons. 

“He was” Jack said, concentrating on her wounds “But i brought him back. I’m not sure how, but that seemed like the most logical explanation at the time” Another blast of golden light seeped through Jack’s palm and the cuts and bruises on her forearm slowly healed, leaving small scars behind. “I just called out to him, begged him to come back. And it worked” Mary sighed as the light moved through her body. It was like being washed in cool water after spending hours under the sun. The pain clouding her mind slowly dissipated, leaving a sense of calm behind. 

“Thank you” she said, sincerely. 

“We should leave” Jack said, turning towards the portal in the corner of the room. 

“I don’t think so”

~~~

The rest of the ride towards the boat was silent, the tension between Kaia and the rest of the girls tangible in the air. 

Jody followed Patience's directions until they spotted the abandoned structures floating by the unkept dock and pulled over next to the Impala. The windshield was cracked and the whole car was covered in dirt. Claire let out a low whistle. 

“Well Dean’s not gonna like that” she said, tracing her fingers through the crack a bit too boldly, making it even worse “Oops” she quickly pulled her fingers back.

They followed the trail towards the boat. Kaia looked around anxiously, rubbing her left wrist with her hand in a soothing gesture. 

“Hey” Donna said, stepping closer to her “I just want to say, this, what you’re doing, is really brave. Thank you” she smiled softly and Kaia returned it. 

They went inside, following Kaia. Jody traced her fingers on the occasional bright red sigils she found along the way. She recognized them as angel proofing, matching them with Patience’s vision.

They find the large room from Patience’s vision where only a few hours prior Kaia sat tied up, hopelessly thinking she was finally going completely insane. The two portals stood still, energy pulsating out of both of them, filling the room with pure static. 

“That’s it” Kaia said, pointing to a blue-tinted forrest “That’s ‘the bad place’”

Claire nodded, already reaching towards it. “Well let’s do this” 

One by one they cross the portal until it’s just Jody and Kaia, still on the boat. Jody notices the hesitation in Kaia’s steps and smiles softly.

“Look, if you wanna wait for us out here that’s fine by us. You’ve already helped us out a lot” she said, sounding as reassuring as she could.

“No, i have to do this” Kaia said, stepping towards the portal.

“Are you sure?” Jody asked.

“No” and with that Kaia closed her eyes and stepped into her nightmare place. 

~~~

“So, what’s the plan?” Sam asked, trying to sound optimistic. 

“There’s another cave, not too far from here, that’s not warded. We could go there and i’ll try to focus as fast as i can” Brooklyn said, walking towards the cave entrance. 

“Woah wait a second” Dean said, following behind “This is a suicide mission”

“Yeah well, you want to return to your universe right?” Brooklyn said, stepping out of the cave “Come on, hurry. We don’t have much time before the angels sense us” 

And so they grabbed tightly onto their weapons and ventured back into the forest. 

Faint screeches and rustling filled the air, startling the boys. Dean looked around curious about the whole ‘trueform’ business. He’d read lots of lore on angels back in the day and each gave a different description on angelic beings. Some stated that angels had multiple animal heads, fact confirmed by Zachariah back in the greenroom all those years ago. Others described them with having multiple eyes all over their downy white wings, and some other ridiculous ones even depicted them as children. 

Dean tried to ask Castiel about his true form before but he only got vague descriptions. Something along the lines of ‘seraphs are described as ‘the burning ones’’, ‘‘i’m a wavelength of celestial intent’ and ‘my wings aren’t exactly corporeal, they adapt differently when i’m taking a vessel’. He was curious to see what could be so overwhelming for his monkey brain that couldn’t even be described using words or pictures.

Suddenly a loud screech broke the air, along with a loud thud.

“Shit watch out!” he heard Brooklyn say as a tree fell a few feet from them. Both hunters turned their attention just in time to see a giant shadow sprint right past them at an impossible speed, accompanied by a high pitched sound Dean was all too familiar with. The hunters attempted to get a better look at it, but the longer they stared at it, the more the shadow absorbed light around them, burying them in what closely resembled a black hole with peeks of fluorescent light rushing towards the blurry silhouette. A loud whoosh sound, like an airplane, was the only true indication that the creature was gone and the humans slowly fell of the trance, finding themselves lying on the cold dirt of the forest, Brooklyn peering at them from above. 

“What the-” was all that left Dean’s lips before he was hauled back up by Brooklyn.

“We don’t have much time, soon they’ll be after us” was all she said before she pushed the boys back on their feet to continue running. 

Their brains failed to process what they’d just seen, but the alarms pouding in their heads screaming ‘danger’ activated their flight or fight response, forcing them to continue. 

~~~

“Ok now how are we supposed to find those assholes?!” asked Claire as soon as Jody and Kaia walked through the portal. 

“Good question” replied Donna. A loud screech echoed far away in the distance.

“Oh God” Kaia whispered to herself, looking at the origin of her nightmares. 

It felt different. When she dreamwalks it all feels like a fuzzy dream. It takes time to focus enough to notice the humidity of the forest or the smell of pine and fresh dirt. And then one of those monsters would find her and attempt to drag her into this reality, pulling and scratching at her until she awoke covered in sweat and blood. But now, being physically there, it was all too concrete. The reality of it not being inside her head overwhelming her to the point where she failed to notice the whoosh sound coming towards them, leaving her no time to warn the others as a big shadow engulfed them. 

Darkness fell over the girls as the monster flew past them, streaks of iridescent light surrounding them and shutting down their brains. They couldn’t quite process what was happening and they were too overwhelmed to create a response. Everyone except Kaia, who had been witness to the monsters so many times throughout her life she was able to brush past the impression of nothingness and just run.   
She reached down to the rest of the group, trying to get a reaction from them. And after a couple minutes they were all back to the present time, questions flying to and fro and Kaia attempted to explain what she knew, which was quite limited considering she’d been visiting this place since before she could talk. 

“We should split up” suggested Patience once they were all stable. 

“Bad idea” said Jody “We have no idea where those boys could be and i don’t want anyone else getting lost in here”

“So what? We just walk around in circles hoping to cross paths with them while trying not to get killed by those things?!” said Claire, exasperated. 

“I think i know where they are” said Kaia, looking at the distance. 

“How?” asked Donna.

“I can’t really explain it” she said “But i can feel them. They’re running that way. And they’re not alone” 

“Great” said Jody “Let’s go then”

And so all six woman jogged through the forest, distant screeches and rustling keeping them focused on their task. They tried asking Kaia about the place but there was not much that could help them. 

They weren’t sure how long they’d been walking for before another loud whoosh of wind overwhelmed them, followed by a brain-melting, high-pitched sound. This time they all had time to close their eyes and brace themselves for the feeling of being drowned in iridescent darkness. Kaia was ready to keep on when a few shadows broke in her newly restored line of vision. Her mind told her to run, these shadows looked human, nothing like what she was used to deal with, but as her vision cleared she managed to recognize the two silhouettes in the back.

“What the actual-” Dean once again tried to express his eloquent thoughts before getting interrupted.

“Jody?! Donna… Claire… what the hell are you doing here?!” Sam asked, cautiously approaching them. 

“We’re here to save your lame asses” said Claire, smirking.

~~~

“How did you get here?” a tall, dark skinned man appeared on the front door of the run-down church followed by two women in dark grey suits holding silver blades in front of them. 

Jack turned to them, his eyes flaring golden light threateningly as he held Mary close to him. 

“Where you looking for your daddy?” the man asked, stepping closer. The two women stayed by the church entrance. “Sorry but you’re too late. He’s back to la la land”

Jack just stared at him, confusion and anger painting his insides. 

The man sighed, keeping long eye contact with Jack before he swiped his right hand in the air. Mary was ripped from his arms and flailed towards the back wall, falling on her knees on the floor. 

“Who are you?” asked Jack, standing up “What do you want?”

“My name is Michael” the man said, now standing a couple feet away from Jack “I’m an archangel, like your father” a taunting smile haunted his face, making Jack take a step back. “And i can’t help but be curious about that little door to paradise you opened. Mind if i check it out?”

“You’re going to let us leave” Jack said, walking a couple steps back towards Mary, not breaking eye contact with Michael. 

“Now why would i do that?” Michael asked, staying in place. 

“Because you don’t want to get hurt” Jack replied, standing right in front of Mary who still laid on her knees, unable to stand up. 

“Oh really?” Michael walked closer to them “I’d like to see you try” 

Before he could reach them, Jack held his hand up. Michael was suspended in the air, unable to move or escape. The two women warding the door immediately stepped in, but Jack was fast enough and trapped them as well. 

Mary watched from her spot on the floor as Jack flung all three beings against the far wall, stunning them. 

“Let’s go!” he said, hauling Mary by her arm and throwing her towards the portal. They both dived through, and Jack quickly reached over to try and close it but a pulse of energy held him back.

As soon as Jack turned his back on him, Michael gathered all his strength and pushed against the invisible restrains keeping him in place and charged towards the portal, successfully crossing through right before Jack was able to fight the raw energy being liberated, closing the portal behind Michael. 

“Well that wasn’t so hard, was it?” was all Michael said before expanding his wings and leaving in a gust of wind.


	3. Not Gonna Take Your Pity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their plan to return to their universe has some complications, but somehow they manage to pull through. 
> 
> Meanwhile thing's don't go as smoothly for Jack as he would've liked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not good at writing fight scenes but i hope some Kaia love can make up for it.

“Ok we found them” said Kaia “Now how the hell do we get out of here?!”

“We have to keep moving!” said Brooklyn, urging for everyone to follow her “Now they know you’re all here and they won’t rest until they hunt us all down!”

“And who the hell are you?” asked Donna, hand hovering over her gun holster, suspicion heavy on her face. 

“Nephilim. Gonna create a new portal for us” Dean explained, keeping it simple.

Jody frowned. “But why open another portal when we just left one open?”.

“We can’t risk going back there” said Brooklyn “It must be heavily guarded by now”

“So we’re supposed to just leave it unattended?” asked Patience “Who knows what else could cross through!”

“She’s right” Sam added “We can’t leave that one open longer than necessary. Dealing with one portal is heavy enough, we shouldn't risk opening another one”

“We don’t have time!” portested Brooklyn “Besides, don’t you think your friend back home can close both portals back up?” 

Sam threw a sideways glare at Dean, who seemed to be thinking the same thing as him. Why was she so sure she could just open a new portal for them? And how exactly was she going to manage that, when it’s fairly obvious she hasn’t done it before? They’d witnessed first handedly how hard it’d been for Jack to summon the amount of power it took to create a tear in reality, there is no way she can pull that off by herself with the threat of crazy angels on their asses.

They both circled around Brooklyn, hands hovering over their guns. Even if they wouldn’t do much damage to something like her their instincts told them not to venture unarmed. Jody and Donna, being cops, took the hint and together they all surrounded her. 

“What are you doing?” Brooklyn asked, her voice a tow lower in a threatening manner “We’re losing time here”

“Yeah, well, should’ve thought about that before throwing a bunch of bullshit at us” said Dean, taking out his gun and pointing it at her. 

“Seriously? I’m just trying to help-”

“Oh please!” Donna rolled her eyes “You really think we’re that stupid?”

“Honestly, you kind of are” as soon as the worlds left Brooklyn’s mouth the ground started to shake beneath their feet. Leaves rustled from the trees above them as the all-too familiar high-pitched screeches in the background got louder and louder, forcing the hunters to cover their ears and groan in pain. A sudden gust of wind lifted dry dirt from the ground, threatening to blind them and a sudden charge of static filled the air. They were surrounded. 

Numerous shadows covered the sky above them, turning the blue-tinted evening sunlight into a dark screen with flashing iridescent lights. Their minds clouded as they tried to process their new surroundings, unable to pinpoint the exact numbers and locations of their enemies. And so they did the one thing their survival instincts screamed at them.

“Run!”

~~~

“No!” Jack said, throwing himself to the now empty spot where the archangel stood only a few milliseconds before. “Damn it!” 

“Crap” was all Mary could say before she once again became aware of the pain on her lower limbs. She groaned, curling up on the floor. 

Jack turned to her, kneeling beside her. “Here, let me help” he said before once again laying his hands on her and bathing her in that golden light, leaving a dulling sensation coursing through her body. 

She sighed in relief. “Thank you”. She tried to stand up on her own but her legs were too unstable beneath her. 

“You should rest” said Jack, remembering how fragile humans are. It took more than a couple seconds from them to recover from simple injuries, even when healed. 

“No, no” Mary protested, trying to push away from Jack’s grip “We need to find the boys” 

“No, not we” said Jack, looking behind them at the only portal that still stood in the room. “I’m the one who got them in trouble, i should be the one to help them. And i don’t want you to get hurt”

“They’re my sons” Mary said, throwing Jack a stern look “And i can take care of myself”.

Of course, Jack understood. If there was one thing he’d learned throughout his unusually brief life is how important family is to the Winchesters. He’d heard both brothers preach about faith and blame and what it means to be good. And now he knows it’s not just the brothers and Castiel, but Mary too. Her sons are in trouble and she’ll do anything to help them because she knows they’d do the same for her (which, in this case, is what got them in trouble in the first place). Still, he can’t see himself causing any more damage. Putting Mary in harm's way when he’s supposed to be keeping her safe doesn’t sound like the fragile idea of family he’s been building, but he also knows humans are stubborn too. And all these emotions and feelings overlapping each other make it harder for him to make a choice. 

Jack laid a soft hand on her shoulder “I promised them i’d save you” he pleaded Mary to understand. He doesn’t know what the good thing to do here is. The time he’s spent on his own has showed him just how many shades of grey exist between good and bad yet he’s still struggling to understand the fact that he can’t be completely good for his own sake or he’ll once again end up hurting people. 

Mary, seeming to understand his internal struggle, smiled kindly at him “And you did. But now they’re in trouble, they need us” she looked back at the portal, taking a tentative step forwards. “What is that place anyways?” 

“It’s a bad place” explained Jack “With big bad monsters”

“Well that ain’t new”. She stepped closer to the portal and sighed. She looked around and found a single angel blade lying abandoned by one of the chairs in the room. She reached for it and gripping it tight she crossed the portal, leaving Jack with no other choice but to follow behind her.

~~~

Miraculously they all managed to get their sea legs, sprinting into the same general direction of the forest. 

The screeching got louder, almost to the point where nothing else could be heard over it other than their racing hearts. Trees collapsed all around them, lifting even more clouds of dirt and foliage all around them but they kept running. At some point Sam and Dean managed to roundup the group, flanking them like sheep in order to keep everyone close together. Since they had no idea where they were going they couldn’t afford to lose anyone. 

The chase lasted for what seemed like an eternity. The hunters were starting to grow tired; sweat pooled at their temples and they could feel their legs shaking with exhaustion. Slowly the gusts of wind and dirt died down, the screeches became once again distant and the shaking of the ground was blamed mostly on their wobbly legs. 

The group came to a puzzled stop. This was most likely a trap but they didn’t have many other options. They all looked at each other half-expecting bright iridescent lights to engulf them but after a couple minutes nothing happened. And that’s when Sam managed to recognize the weird rock formation standing a few feet away from them. It was the spot in which him and Dean had encountered Brooklyn in the first place. 

And so he turned to Dean and the look of relief that crossed his face would’ve been absolutely hilarious in any other circumstances, especially since the older hunter’s face was completely covered in mud and what looked like a couple dead insects stuck to his sweaty face. 

“Ok so what’s the plan?” huffed Jody from behind them. 

“We think we know where the portal is” said Sam. 

And so they all agreed to search for the portal. They hiked their way through the forest carefully, knowing they were being watched. What they still couldn’t understand was why they hadn’t been attacked so far, not that they’re complaining or anything. 

The answer to this question came when they found Brooklyn standing right in front of the portal surrounded by flickering shadows. She wore a self-satisfied smirk on her face which only fueled the group’s anger. 

“Looks like you’re trapped” she said, taking a step forwards.

“What do you want?” asked Dean “Why not just smite us already?” 

“Now why would we waste such perfect vessels?” Brooklyn asked back. “You really don’t get it? Humans are dead, there’s no vessels for the angels. And heaven, well, being full and all has made it kind of boring for them. So now you’re all gonna agree to let some of my angel friends in while i go around exploring this new reality, how about that?” 

She took a few steps forward, now standing a few feet away from the hunters. 

Suddenly it hit Sam. “You can’t hurt us” he said. 

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that” she threatened back.

“Really? Because if you could then you would’ve done it already. No, you still need our say so to ride around in our meatsuits. Without it, we’re untouchable” Sam said, risking a look at the shadows behind her. 

“Maybe you’re right” said Brooklyn “But we still have our ways to get consent” 

She raised her left hand, a bright silver glow pouring out of her palm, and pointed it at Sam. Dean reached forward, ready to knock Brooklyn out of the way when a sudden pulse of energy froze them all in place. Everyone’s face turned towards the portal just in time to spot two figures fall through. 

“Mom?” 

~~~

It only took Jack a couple seconds to take in the scene. Once he realized they were being ambushed he reached forward and in a blast of bright gold light Brooklyn was flinged to another side of the forest. 

“Let’s go!” he said, turning towards the hunters. 

Once again high-pitched buzzing filled the air as the creatures protested, bright flickers of light danced around trying to block any sight from the humans. Jack looked around, confused yet unaffected by the whole ordeal. He bent forwards and one by one hurled the stunned humans toward the portal. 

“No!” silver light engulfed him, knocking him out a couple feet away. He stood up and found himself face to face with very angry silver eyes. Instinctively he balled his left hand in a fist and punched the thing in the face. The creature seemed unfaced as another burst of angry silver light threatened to knock Jack off his feet but he resisted, responding with another burst of golden light and once again throwing Brooklyn against a tree, this time keeping her there. 

They kept eye contact, waiting for the other to attack. But as the seconds went by Brooklyn’s defiant stare changed to one of defeat “Please don’t do this. They’ll kill me” she pleaded. 

Jack looked at her, tilting his head. He could sense it the moment he stepped through the portal. She was like him. Her energy was completely different from that of the creatures around them, acting like a magnet towards him. This is what he doesn't want to turn into. He doesn’t want to hurt those around him, specially humans, and looking into her grey eyes he can see death and destruction buried deep inside her. Yet she still stared at him, pleading. 

Even if he was familiar with the concept of redemption, he knew that what she’d done was bad. He risked a look back to see Sam and Dean carefully hauling the girls over to the portal. With one last glance at Brooklyn he managed to shepherd all humans to the portal.

~~~

The feeling of the cold hard floor of the ship against Kaia’s face felt like a blessing. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths trying to process what had just happened. 

“Is everyone ok?” she heard cocaine boy, Jack, ask from somewhere in the room. She didn’t even bother with an answer. Still panting she slowly sat on the floor, holding her head in her hands. Did that really happen?

She looked down at her hands, her arms. There were a few scratches here and there from running around in the forest but none of those monsters had even laid a finger on her. Somehow, she managed to escape unharmed for the first time in years. A small smile made its way to her face as she wrapped her arms around herself. 

“Hey kiddo” Donna laid a soft hand on her shoulder “You alright?” 

“Yeah” Kaia breathed out, still a bit stunned “Yeah i’m fine” 

Finally she gathered the strength to look around. The room still looked the same, with the chairs and other random objects thrown haphazardly around in the heat of the earlier fight. How long had they been gone, anyways? 

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the two guys from earlier holding desperately onto another woman she hadn’t seen before. She thought about asking but then tears started to appear and she deemed it none of her business. Instead she turned to the other girls, but she was met with a familiar sight, leaving her feeling terribly out of place. 

Sadly, she was used to it. Being an orphan she never really had a family to lean on, friends being the only thing she truly knew. But even then, they didn’t understand her. They thought she was just another desperate junkie, running away from her troubles. And those who actually understood, well, what just happened to Derek proves that that’s only temporary. 

With a sigh, she slowly stood up and reached half her way across the room when a hand on her shoulder stopped her. It was one of the older women, Jody. 

“Hey you got somewhere to be?” she asked.

“I- Doesn’t matter” Kaia responded dismissively. 

“Of course it matters” Jody said, standing directly in front of her. “You don’t have to be on your own” 

Patience turned to them, a kind smile on her face “You should come with us” 

“I don’t need your pity” said Kaia. She’d always hated the sad, pitiful looks people threw at her whenever they saw her at group homes and orphanages. She wasn’t some alcoholic asshole who wanted to get sober after almost beating their wife to death, looking to be pitied. Yes, she did struggle, but so does everyone else. Besides, no one cares enough to actually pity her, they just feel bad at the idea of her. No one knows what she’s really been going through. 

“It’s not pity” responded Jody “I’m just trying to help here. This life… it’s not something you can do on your own, much less someone as young as you” 

Kaia looked at her, considering her options. She really didn’t have anywhere to be. Her only option was to go back to the group house and endure the next few months full of talk therapy and job placement until she turned 18. She couldn’t see herself living like that, working minimum wage to afford a decent meal and a roof over her head day after day while still being plagued by nightmares from ‘the bad place’. 

And so she nodded, throwing a small, grateful smile at the hunters. 

Maybe this is it. Maybe she’s finally found a place where she can fit in.


	4. Pending Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conversations happen... kind of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year!!!

Dean took deep breaths trying to regain feeling on his legs. The warm, humid air felt like jabbing stabs against his sweaty skin and the constant ringing in his ears made it difficult for him to focus. As the heat of the battle died down he found himself overwhelmed with sensations, leaving him kneeling on the ground paralyzed.

Sam laid on the ground next to him, a bit more lucid. His head throbbed and his heart threatened to jump out of his chest but he was conscious enough. He glanced around, making sure everyone else was safe before finally allowing his eyes to settle on Mary. She was standing a few feet away from the brothers, her arms wrapped around herself. As soon as they made eye contact a big grin broke her face and a second later she was wrapping her arms around her youngest son. 

It took Sam a second to hug her back, but when he finally did his breath hitched and everything else seemed to disappear. His mom is alive. He held onto her tightly, neither of them caring about hurting the other, for what felt like forever yet not long enough. And then another pair of strong arms joined them and for a second everything was perfect. Their little family was there, alive and safe. 

In a couple hours both brothers would deny any tear duct leakage but at the moment that seemed like the least of their worries as weeks of pain and grief slowly washed away in their embrace. 

Finally, reluctantly, they let go. As good as everything was, they were all exhausted and filthy, craving nothing more than a good shower and a few days of sleep. They thanked the girls for their heroic rescue, promising a family visit to Jody’s in the near future. Jack made sure to thoroughly heal every single injury, a little self-satisfied grin appearing on his face. 

They said their goodbyes and climbed on their respective vehicles. But as soon as Dean settled in the front seat of the Impala he froze. All the thoughts that had been trying to make their way into his head a couple hours ago suddenly rushed in and he was left with a death grip on the steering wheel. 

“Dean?” asked Sam, cautious. 

There was a long silence. “I’m sorry” finally mumbled Dean.

“What do you mean?” said Mary, turning to her son. Sam had insisted she sat in the front seat, claiming he could use the backseat space to lay down on their way to the closest motel. Jack sat curled up next to him, the small smile still on his lips. 

“I-I thought you…” Dean’s voice was quiet, too quiet. “I thought you were dead” 

“Dean” Sam whispered in alarm.

“What?” was all Mary could say.

“Sam believed you were still alive. He insisted we go out and try to find you but i didn’t- i couldn’t-” he cut himself off, the knot forming in his throat making it hard to speak. 

“Dean…” Mary reached a hand forward, clasping a white-knuckled fist in a gentle grip. “It’s not your fault” 

“But it is!” he protested, eyes glued to their joined hands in front of him “If only we had looked for you sooner i-” 

“Dean” she reached for his face with her other hand, forcing her eldest son to look at her “We’re all too tired to have this conversation. Let’s just go get some rest” she said, smiling kindly at him. 

He opened his mouth to protest but he knew she was right. With a sigh he nodded and turned the key. 

It only took them 10 minutes to reach a descent motel that didn’t charge by the hour. The beginning of a sunrise seeped through the dirty windows as they made their way inside the room. They had silently agreed to share one room between the three, not wanting to be more than a few feet away from each other. 

Mary took over the shower first while Dean sat in one of the beds, phone in hand. He wanted to call Cas, let him know they’d found Jack and Mary, but he couldn’t bring himself to. The knot at the back of his throat barely allowed him to breathe, how was he supposed to explain everything they’d had just been through. 

He contemplated leaving it to Sam, but somehow that didn’t seem right. No, it had been a while since he’d talked to Cas himself and he wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He worried about him since the angel had only left to look for Jack who was currently sitting on the room’s old couch reading something in Sam’s laptop. But if he called him, would he be able to actually talk to him? 

The bathroom door opened and Mary stepped out. She smiled softly at them before making a beeline towards the bed in the corner. They had somehow landed a mote room with three beds and a big sofa, Dean immediately offering to take the couch. Jack wouldn’t have it, though, claiming not to need the rest at the moment. Everyone was too tired to argue and so Mary didn’t even think twice before rushing to the bathroom clutching some of her son’s spare clothes.

Finally he settled for sending him a text. 

_We found him. And mom_

He stared at the screen, his thumb hovering over the ‘send’ button. There were so many things he wanted to say but at the same time he couldn’t find the words to. 

_See you at the bunker_

Yeah, that’ll have to do. As he hit send the bathroom door opened revealing Sam, long hair dripping around his shoulders. 

“Your turn” he said and Dean slowly raised himself from the bed. 

He’s not sure how long he spent there, just letting the water slowly cool down on his skin. By the time he got out he was shivering slightly and strong thoughts still clouded his mind. He quickly changed into an old pair of sweatpants and a hoodie and climbed into bed. Mary and Sam were already snoring away, Jack sat on the couch with headphones on, most likely watching some sci-fi movie on Netflix. 

Dean closed his eyes, refusing to let anything overwhelm him. He told himself he only needed a couple hours of sleep, then he’d deal with everything. Slowly sleep crawled over him and three hours later he was sound asleep. 

~~~

“‘See you at the bunker’ aww isn’t that sweet?” Asmodeus sat in his makeshift throne, Cas’ phone clutched in his left hand while he toyed with a red apple with his right. “Maybe i should pay them a visit. Your boyfriend is clearly worried about you” he laughed dryly before taking a bite from the apple. 

Castiel sat in the far corner of his cell, his eyes burning a hole through the bars where he could make out the white outline of Asmodeus’ suit pants. He’d only been imprisoned for a few hours, sitting in that cold, small cell trying to recover from the hit he’d taken and he was already way too desperate to break out. He was extremely grateful he’d been thrown on the opposite cell from Lucifer, who was currently whistling old folk tunes and clanking the chains holding him down annoyingly. Who knows what would’ve been of the seraph if they’d been forced to share such a small space. 

He remained alert, not missing an inch of the prince’s movement, gathering as much information of the enemy as he could. So far he knew there were at least fifteen demons in the building, evil colonel Sanders included. The place was dark, lit by a few candles here and there which made shadows move in odd places and the humidity and dust in air suggested it was an abandoned building. There were wards covering the entire thing but they were specially strong on the east side, leading him to believe Asmodeus was hiding something there. He’d have to investigate once he finds a way to escape his cell. 

“What should i answer, huh?” Asmodus stood up from his throne, phone still in his hand. He placed the apple on a small table while he reached down to smooth out his white suit, then reached back for it “‘Of course you sexy thing. Can’t wait to wrap my hands around your delicious-’”

“Sir” a young demon interrupted him. Asmodeus raised an eyebrow, staring threateningly at the demon who gulped and cleared their throat. “We have news on the Winchesters”

Castiel tensed up at this. If Asmodeus decided to go after them there was nothing he could do. He’d do anything to get to Jack and clearly the brothers were currently very vulnerable if the bit about Mary is true and Asmodeus is not just trying to manipulate him into revealing anything. 

“Oh. Please do tell” the prince said, locking the phone in his hand and burying it in his pocket. 

“We caught sight of them in the blue jay motel a few hours away” the demon said.

“And Jack?” Asmodeus asked, taking another bite from his apple. 

“He was with them, as well as Mary Winchester, sir” another demon said. Asmodeus smiled at this, chewing loudly on the apple. 

“What will you have us do, sir?” the first demon asked. Asmodeus hummed, pacing around the room. He seemed to be weighing his options. 

He walked to the back of the room where Castiel and Lucifer’s cells stood. He reached towards the bars of Lucifer’s cell, snarling at the archangel who was still whistling carelessly, a taunting smile on his face. He enjoyed seeing his creator behind bars, it made him feel invincible which, with little Jack’s help, he’d soon be. He can’t wait to have the kid between his hands, feel that power course through his veins. 

Then he moved to Castiel’s, reaching for the phone in his pocket. 

“I’m gonna take care of this by myself” the prince said, not breaking eye contact with the angel “I’d like to play with them for a bit before ripping their hearts out” 

A burst of red light flooded the room and suddenly Castiel was staring back at himself. Asmodeus smiled sickly at Castiel before turning back to the phone. He hit a few buttons before pressing it to his ear. Castiel opened his mouth to protest but a sudden, sharp pain paralyzed him. He looked down at the chains wrapped around his body, the sigils carved into them were glowing red. 

“Hello Dean”

~~~

The next day everyone woke up mid-afternoon, starving. Dean offered to go grab them something from the diner across the street, wanting to stall the conversation he so desperately needed as much as possible. Sam stared at him suspiciously, he knew him too well, but reluctantly let him go. Jack asked if he could come with, claiming Dean would need help carrying all that food back to the motel, and Dean agreed tiredly. 

The walk to the diner was silent but Dean could still feel Jack’s stare burning through his skin. He could tell the kid wanted to talk, but he wasn’t in the mood for chit chats. Jack didn’t seem to get the memo, though, and as soon as they stepped inside he turned to the older hunter.

“Dean?” he asked.

“Hmmm?” Dean busied himself with the menu, trying to decide just what he could get his mom who he selfishly abandoned in another reality just because he couldn’t bother with a little bit of hope while completely bashing his brother’s.

“Are you ok?” Jack asked, staring intently at him. Dean looked up at him and for a second he swears he saw the bright blue eyes of his best friend. He blinked hard, and blue was replaced with gold. 

“Yeah, peachy” he said, his voice more gruff than usual. 

“Are you sure? Because i know-”

“I said i’m fine” he cut the kid off, earning a few rude looks from the customers around them. He sighed and looked down “Look just- not now. Please”

Jack nodded, finally giving up. A red-haired woman in her mid-fifties took their order and offered them a cup of coffee each while they waited. Dean smiled gratefully at this, content to have something to do other than sit there awkwardly with Jack. But after a few minutes the words simply left his unprepared mouth. 

“Thank you” he kept his stare fixed on the now half-empty coffee cup. Jack looked up at him, surprised. “For helping us”

“That’s what family does” Jack simply said, as if he was talking about the weather. As if the concept of family wasn’t everything Dean stood up for, as if being the actual son of satan was nothing to stop him from being another little brother to the older hunter. Dean huffed, taking another sip of his coffee. 

The rest of the wait was spent in a slightly less tense silence. Dean smiled politely at the waitress and left a generous tip before walking back to the motel, Jack following close behind. 

Back at the motel Mary and Sam had spent the entire time talking about everything except the previous few weeks. They discussed the weather, the incredibly decent water pressure in the shitty motel room and even the fact that honey bees are slowly growing back in population. By the time Dean and Jack walked in they both had resolved to just awkwardly look at news reports in Sam’s laptop. 

They laid out in the small table in the middle of the cramped up motel room, Sam and Dean opting to sit on the edge of one of the beds while Jack and Mary took the only two chairs in the room. The meal went by in silence, all blaming it on the fact that they hadn’t had a proper meal in a long time. And when they finally finished, everyone busied up with cleaning up. Well, everyone except Jack. He was well aware of the pending conversation, yet he couldn’t understand why no one was pushing it, must be a human thing. That’s why he decided to break the tension by clearing his throat. Suddenly all eyes were on him. 

“So” he said “We have a problem” he decided to be straightforward. No need to stall more. 

“Problem?” asked Sam. Dean cleared his throat, flustered while Mary awkwardly turned around to pick up a balled up napkin from the floor, throwing it on the trashcan by the door. 

“Yes. A bad man escaped from the portal” Jack said, turning to Mary “I believe he called himself Michael” 

“Michael? As in the archangel?” asked Sam. 

“Yes” said Mary, turning to her sons “He’s the one who trapped me” 

“He’s very powerful, i couldn’t stop him” said Jack, looking down “I’m sorry”

“You did what you could” said Mary, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

“Wait so, dark Michael is out there? In our world?” asked Dean, rubbing his face with his hands. Jack nodded. “Well that’s just fantastic”

“That’s not it” Mary stepped closer to the group “Lucifer escaped too” 

“But how?” asked Sam, incredulous. 

“Michael is a psychopath. He overpowered Lucifer, took part of his grace to try open the portal again but Lucifer managed to escape and go through that portal. It closed behind him but when Jack-” she was interrupted by the sound of Dean’s phone ringing from it’s place on one of the bedside tables. He dragged his feet towards it, his face lighting up at the contact ID.

“Hello Dean” said the familiar rough voice on the other end.

“Cas! It’s good to hear your voice man”


	5. You heard of Abadouche, now get ready for Asmodick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack voices some of his insecurities while Asmodeus pays the boys a little visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah gotta love the calm before the storm :)

A couple hours later they were back on the road on their way home. Dean and Sam shared the front seat after Mary insisted she’d be more confortable in the backseat than Sam and his freakishly long legs. Jack sat next to her staring out the window. 

The low rumble of the Impala’s engine could barely be heard over the soft vocals of Robert Plant. Dean hummed along Kashmir, tapping his finger on the steering wheel while Sam busied himself with his laptop trying to find something, anything that could give away Michael or Lucifer’s location. They’d agreed that finding them was their current top priority, along with avoiding the angels and Asmodeus who all-too desperately wanted to get their hands on Jack. 

“Do you think he’s mad at me?” Jack asked right as they reached Topeka. 

“Who? Cas? Nah, he’s just worried” assured him Dean. Though he had to admit, when Cas called and asked about Jack yet refused to talk to him, he’d thought something was off. But the guy had been through quite a lot and honestly, with heaven and hell after all their asses his tenseness is to be expected. Besides, that dork has a bit of an attitude when it comes to his family. Dean can bet a thousand bucks the guy will walk straight through the bunker’s door and hug the crap outta that kid, following it by a long-ass speech about how much he scared him and how he should never ever do that again. 

“Are you sure? Because i know-”

“Yes, i’m sure. Don’t worry yourself up” Dean interrupted, dismissively. That kid was truly well aquantanced with the whole self-loathing thing, but what’s to be expected of the Winchesters, really? 

Dean reached over and patted his brother’s shoulder “Sam? Anything?” 

“No, not really. I mean there’s some demonic omens in Tulsa, cattle deaths, power outages, but nothing out of the spectrum. At least not Asmodeus or Lucifer level” Sam said, scrolling through news articles. 

“We should still check those out” Dean said, shifting his grip on the steering wheel. He wasn’t happy about jumping back to work, they just got their mom back, but when do they really catch a break?

“This Asmodeus” asked Mary, speaking for the first time since they got in the car “How dangerous is he? Is he anything like Ramiel?”

“He’s the last prince remaining” explained Sam “According to the lore he’s responsible for keeping lovers apart, promoting adultery and lust. We know he can shapeshift and his go to move is to manipulate people” 

“He can shapeshift? I never heard of a demon who could do that” replied Mary.

“Yeah well, the last few weeks we’ve seen some new shit” Dean said, bitterly. That soured the air, making the rest of the ride be spent silently, the cassette tape long over with no one bothering to replace it. 

When they arrived at the bunker, it was empty. Dean tried to call Cas but the angel wouldn’t answer. Dean sighed, burying the phone in his pocket harshly. 

“He’s not answering?” asked Sam, walking into the war room holding one of his world-famous smoothies. 

“No” Dean replied, making a face at the disgustingly green beverage. 

“Maybe he’s too busy driving” Sam shrugged, shaking the styrofoam cup before taking a sip, humming at the rich flavor. 

“Seriously?” said Dean, reaching for his own beer bottle.

“It’s good for you!” Sam protested.

“It’s green” Dean replied, his face contorting in disgust.

“Jack likes it” he said just as the nephilim walked in holding his own smoothie. 

“Don’t corrupt him!” the older hunter exclaimed.

“What? He’s a kid. Don’t you rather have him eating healthy than drinking beer all day like you?” argued Sam “I bet Cas agrees with me” 

“Touché” said Dean, taking another sip of beer. “Where’s mom?” 

“Shower” said Jack “She said something about being desperate to get into her own clothes” 

“Well i don’t know about you two but i’m starving” said Dean “Is the kitchen still stocked?”

“There’s just half a leftover burrito, one six pack of beer and three more smoothies in the fridge” replied Sam “I could go out get us some grub while you wait here for Cas” he knew his brother would refuse to leave in case the angel arrived. Dean always worried too much when it came to his brothers, especially since he’d nearly lost the seraph not a week before. 

“Chinese?” Dean suggested, silently thanking Sam for understanding.

“Extra greasy” Sam agreed, a small smile on his face.

“Can i come with?” Asked Jack. 

“Sure” Sam said, taking one last sip of his smoothie before setting it back in the fridge, motioning for Jack to do the same before grabbing their jackets and heading back out. 

As the Impala exited the Men of Letter bunker underground garage they failed to notice the black suburban van lurking in the shadows. 

“Looks like it’s just gonna be us, mommy dearest and mr. boyfriend in there” said Casmodeus, turning to one of his minions. The demon exited the car, opening the back door for the prince to step out. 

Casmodeus reached down to smooth the stupid trench coat out, looking at himself in the reflection of the van’s window. He smirked as he met those pretty blue eyes, this would be fun. He’d made sure to read as much of the angel’s mind as he could, gathering information from his previous conversations with the Winchesters and getting an idea of all their interactions. It was all disgustingly sweet, that angel was really fond of those idiotic humans. 

The prince thought he understood the angel’s game. Those Winchester humans were a big card, and having them in your pocket really had lots of advantages game-wise. Sure, their general objectives were pathetic: ‘saving people, hunting thing, the family business’? Why? What did those mud-crawling insects achieve with that? They were neither rich, nor famous, or any other human ambitious crave and Asmodeus, being a demon, couldn’t fathom the idea of them doing it for nothing. 

But that wasn't important when he was planning on slaughtering them as soon as he got his hands on Lucifer’s nephilim. He smirked and walked the rest of the way towards the main entrance of the building. As he got closer he sensed all the powerful wards and cursed to himself, once inside he wouldn’t have access to most of his power. Whatever, he’ll find a way to get them all out. 

He walked to the gate and opened the complicated lock from Castiel’s memories. 

“Let the fun begin” Casmodeus said before he walked inside.

~~~

“Sam?” Jack asked as they reached the parking lot of Dean’s favourite chinese place.

“Yes, Jack?” the hunter asked, killing the engine. 

“What happens if Lucifer tries to take me away?” he asked, looking down. 

Sam sighed “You know we won’t let that happen, ever” he turned to look at Jack, giving him the most reassuring stare the younger hunter could muster. He knew where Jack’s fear came from, how the nephilim didn’t want anything to do with the archangel yet knowing they’d have to confront each other sometime. As much as he wanted to tell himself they’d do everything in their power to keep both of them as far apart as possible, they’d never been able to truly overcome Lucifer (except for that one time he possessed the president and they successfully exorcised him but Crowley ruined that one for them).

“I know” Jack said, nodding “But i’m still scared” 

Sam reached forward, placing a comforting hand on Jack’s shoulder “That’s quite human of you” he smiled, squeezing his shoulder before letting go, opening the car’s door and getting out, Jack following close behind.

“And that’s a good thing” Jack said, matching his walking pace with Sam’s. 

“Yes, it is. And now you’re gonna do another very human thing and discover the joys of chinese food for the first time” they reached the door and Sam held the door while Jack stepped in, immediately faced with the intense smell of fried vegetables and soy sauce. 

They went through the menu together, settling in ordering a bit of everything for Jack to get a taste on what he likes. They sat in a table far back while they waited for their food, sipping on lemon sodas. 

“I never realized there could be so much variety in human sustenance” Jack said. 

Sam laughed “Wait ‘till you try mexican, buddy”. It was like Cas all over again. He’d enjoyed teaching Cas about human things before (granted Dean had taken over most of it, leaving things like healthy eating and proper research methods to Sam) and he found it kind of hilarious. Now he got to show Jack most things since Dean had been hostile at first and Cas wasn’t the best at explaining most human things. 

“I thought we already had mexican” Jack said, recalling the burritos they ate a few days before, as well as the tamales Dean made them eat even before that. Even if he didn’t need food as often as a normal human did, he enjoyed eating. It made him feel like he really did fit in. 

“That wasn’t even half of it buddy” suddenly Sam’s phone rang from his pocket. He dug it out and found a text from Dean. 

_Cas is home. Make sure you bring enough for everyone_

“Looks like Cas arrived” Sam said, typing back a quick reply before storing his phone back in his pocket. 

“Oh” was all Jack said, taking a sip from his soda. 

“Jack” Sam said, leaning forward “Cas really cares about you, man. He’s just worried, with heaven and Asmodeus after you who knows what could’ve happened to you?”

“I’m sorry” Jack said softly, looking down. He knew what he did was wrong, yet he didn’t regret it. During his time alone he’d learned quite a lot, both about himself and about the world he lived in and he wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything. Yet he understood if Castiel hated him for running away. He knew the angel felt responsible for him and Jack was grateful, really, but he also wanted to be independent. 

“Just don't go like that again” Sam said, smiling and taking another sip from his soda. 

A few minutes later they were given their orders. They loaded everything in the Impala and got in. 

“Hey we should go get some basic stuff from the supermarket while we’re in town” Sam said “With all this heaven and hell crap it looks like we’re gonna spend a lot of time locked up in the bunker” 

~~~

When Mary walked back out to the war room she found Dean sitting alone, absentmindedly picking at a beer bottle. 

“Where’s Sam and Jack?” she asked, startling Dean. She threw him an apologetic smile as she sat on the chair opposite him. 

“They went out for grub” Dean said, throwing a tight.lip smile at her.

“Any news on Cas?” she asked. She was eager to see the angel, after all he was one of her boys. 

“Nope” Dean said “Sam said he could be busy driving or somethin’” he had a slight slur to his voice. Mary looked around and found three empty beer bottles scattered all over the table. 

“Yeah that must be it” Mary said, standing up to get a beer for herself. When she came back Dean was still sitting in the war room, boot-clad feet propped up on the table. He had his phone in his hand and Mary guessed he was most likely contemplating whether it would be a good idea to call the angel again or he was just setting himself up for disappointment. In the end the hunter decided to throw his phone haphazardly on the table. 

“I’m sure he’s fine Dean” Mary said. 

“Yeah, yeah” Dean sighed, leaning back on the chair. 

Just then the bunker door flung open. Both Dean and Mary looked up, expecting Sam and Jack to walk in. But to their surprise they saw the familiar trench coat flow as the angel walked down the stairs. 

“Cas!” In the blink of an eye Dean was standing up, rushing towards the angel. “Why aren’t you answering your phone damn it” 

“Missed you too, Dean” Casmodeus said, reaching forward and wrapping Dean in a tight hug. 

“Ok, ok” Dean said, patting the angel’s back awkwardly “You know what i mean, you idiot” 

“I’m sorry. I was driving” He said, apologetically. There was something weird on his face, Dean couldn’t quite pinpoint what, but he decided to let it go. The angel was finally home and soon his whole family would be all here, safe and sound. 

“Cas” Both boys turned to Mary, who stood a few feet away from them. 

“Mary Winchester” Casmodeus said. Mary looked at him confused, the angel never called her that. Fuck, fuck, fuck. The prince of hell quickly rushed to hug the woman as tightly as he’d hugged Dean as to not raise any more suspicion. 

“I’m gonna tell Sam to hurry” Dean said, fishing his phone out of his pocket.

“Where’s Jack?” Casmodeus asked, deciding to go for it already. No need to spend more time with awkward hugs and stupid love fest, family time bullshit. 

“Him and Sam went out to get diner. They’ll be back soon”


	6. Brainwashed? Again?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Casmodeus executes the first part of his plan. Oh boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took longer than usual, i've been a bit busy with family stuff. Enjoy!

The sun was already setting by the time Sam and Jack walked into the bunker, each carrying armfulls of bags because real men only did one trip. 

“Finally!” Dean praised as he saw both men struggle down the stairs “We’re starving in here” 

“Sorry” Said Sam between clenched teeth as he rushed to the kitchen. 

“Sam thought it would be convenient to have a stocked kitchen” said Jack, calmly making his way to the kitchen as if he wasn’t carrying five gallons of milk and juice in one arm and coutles boxes of cereal and pasta on the other. He purposely avoided all pairs of eyes, staring intently at the floor as if watching his step.

He offered to put all groceries in place, saying he’d watched it being done in movies and wanted to try it out by himself. Sam could see right through it though but said nothing as he microwaved the now cold chinese takeaway. A few minutes later Dean walked in and together him and Sam took all the styrofoam containers to the war room table where both Mary and Cas lounged with both their feet propped up on the map table. 

“That smells greasy” Mary said, licking her lips. Cas hummed in agreement, sitting down straight and dragging his chair closer to the table, rubbing his hands together. Dean raised an eyebrow at this but the angel just shrugged. 

“Where’s Jack?” Cas asked for what seemed like the thousand time. 

“Putting groceries away” replied Dean, opening one of the white containers revealing a steamy pile of orange chicken.

“I’ll go get him” said Sam, heading straight to the kitchen. There he found Jack reading the back of a soup can like it was a bomb-defusing manual. “Jack?”

The nephilim jumped, nearly dropping said can. He carefully placed it on one of the shelves before turning to Sam, a guilty look on his face. “Sam! I’m nearly done here. I just-”

“Jack” Sam said again, softly. He sighed and walked deeper into the kitchen until he was standing just a few feet away from the kid. “I know what you’re trying to do here and believe me, it’s not going to help”

“What do you mean?” Jack asked, though Sam knew he was aware of Sam’s words. 

“I mean that you’re going to have to talk to Cas soon. Look, he’s not mad at you, at all. He’s just concerned. Really, he keeps asking for you” Sam smiled softly at him “Come on. You wanted to try chinese right?” 

 

With a very human sigh Jack nodded and both boys made their way back to the war room.

“Mmm this is great!” Dean said over a mouthful of noodles. “Dig in, guys” 

“Jack!” Cas greeted the nephilim “Good to finally see you” the angel smiled an awkward smile at him before turning back to his food. 

Dean frowned a little at this. It definitely wasn’t what he’d been expecting from the angel, but maybe he’s just holding back while they’re having dinner. Maybe he doesn’t want it to be awkward for everyone, instead opting to just act normally for their sakes. The angel will surely do the whole intervention before Jack goes to bed, maybe they’ll even talk all night like they did before. The hunter shrugged and kept eating. 

A few hours later the containers laid empty on the table while the family gathered itself in Sam’s room to watch movies. Mary and Sam sat on the bed while Cas took over a chair by the door and Dean and Jack sat on the old sofa across the room. They were halfway through Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade when Dean noticed Jack squirming slightly next to him. 

“Is everything alright, kid?” he whispered at him so that only he could hear him. No need to drag any more unwanted attention when the kid is clearly uncomfortable. 

“Yeah” Jack whispered back, not taking his eyes off the screen. He cleared his throat and shifted once more before settling back on the couch. Dean stared at his for a few seconds longer before settling back himself. That’s when he caught Castiel staring. His intense blue eyes conveyed no emotion as he glued his eyes on the nephilim as if he was studying a zoo animal. Dean waved his hand, catching the angels attention.

“What the hell?” he mouthed at him, still trying to keep it between them. The angel shrugged, then turned back to the tv. Now the older hunter was convinced something was going on with his best friend. 

By the time the movie ended he’d caught the angel staring seven times, all of which were dismissed with a simple shrug every time. Mary yawned and claimed to be too tired to continue their movie marathon. Sam agreed with her and with that they all said their good nights and left the room. 

Dean was quick to corner Cas in the hallway before the angel could get to Jack, the latter throwing him a thankful smile as he shuffled down the hallway to his own room. 

“What the hell is going on with you, man?” Dean asked him once everyone was out of earshot. 

“I don’t know what you mean, Dean” Cas answered in his usual gravely voice, his blue eyes glued a little too intensively on Dean’s. 

“You know exactly what i mean” Dean said “The kid is terrified, thinking you’re mad at him and you’re just staring at him like he’s some weird science experiment” the hunter crossed his arms on his chest and kept firm eye contact with the angel.

Cas sighed. “I’m just worried about him” he said, frowning. 

“Yeah well, don’t show it like that. It’s creepy, dude” and with that the hunter walked away to his own room.

Casmodeus breathed out in relief. That was close. 

He waited until he could no longer sense any movement from the humans before making his way towards the nephilim’s room. He knocked twice before letting himself in, after all he was all but done playing family with these mud monkeys. 

Jack sat on his bed reading a book. ‘Slaughterhouse five’ read the cover. The kid slowly closed the book, taking note on what page he’d read last before slowly turning to the intruder. 

“Jack” Casmodeus said, standing in the doorway. “We need to talk”

“Of course” the nephilim said, nodding. He’d been waiting for this all day. 

“Not here, though” the prince tried to smile softly but it came out a bit too forced “We should go outside. The night is lovely”

Jack nodded, standing up from the bed. And so, both men quietly walked across the bunker towards the main entrance, trying not to wake any of the other inhabitants. 

As soon as they closed the heavy metal door behind them, Jack started stammering “I’m so sorry. I know i shouldn’t have left but-”

“Shut up” Casmodeus said before a hoard of eight demons rushed towards them, clasping metal chains all around the nephilim. 

“What is this?!” Jack asked,panic quickly rising in his gut “Who are you?” It finally clicked, this wasn’t his father. Since the moment he stepped in the bunker he could sense something was wrong with the angel but he assumed it was just negative energy from Castiel’s anger directed at Jack. Now it was obvious this was no angel, the smell of sulfur drowning his human senses as he remembered what Sam had taught him about demons. 

The figure before him smiled wickedly before the trenchcoat disappeared replaced by a white suit, Castiel’s clean-shaved face replaced by a bearded scowl. The nephilim gasped as he met Asmodeus eyes for the second time before his vision slowly turned dark around the edges. He tried to fight against the chains but they were already secured tightly over his arms, down his torso and ending on a lock by his knees. He was completely bound. Then as soon as the lock was clasped the sigils carved in the metal glowed blood red before dimming back into nothing. 

“What-” Jack breathed out before everything turned black. 

“Load him up, boys” Asmodeus instructed, smoothing down his white blazer while smiling at himself. That had been satisfyingly easy. Now he can’t wait to see Lucifer’s face when he sees his boy at the prince’s mercy. 

~~~

Dean was woken up at ungodly hours by loud, frantic knocking on his door. 

“Dean!” he heard Sam said before said moose swung the door open and barged into his room. The older hunter jumped out of his bed, quickly reaching for him gun. 

“What?!” he asked, looking around half-expecting Lucifer to break into his room. 

“They’re gone” Sam said, breathing heavy. He was wearing his running gear, sweatpants and a hoodie, his hair was sticking up in odd places and sweat pooled at his temples indicating he had just finished his morning run. 

“What?” the hunter asked, gun still ready in his hands.

“Cas and Jack” Sam said, still panting “They’re not in the bunker”

“Have you checked their rooms?” Dean said, yawning. he reached up to rub the sleep off his eyes.

“Of course i’ve checked their rooms!” Sam said, exasperated “They’re not in the bunker and Cas’ truck is still in the garage. Now, please put that away before you accidentally shoot either of us” 

Dean frowned, but obeyed. He set the safety back on before throwing the gun by his bed, reaching for his dead guy robe. 

“Are you sure they’re not geeking out in a storage room or something?” the hunter asked, following Sam out of his room. 

“No, there’s nothing. I’ve tried calling Cas but it goes straight to voicemail” 

“Have you checked the security cams?” a few months ago they’d set up a few cameras pointing at the bunker’s entrance just in case someone came a knockin’ when they’re not expecting visitors of any kind. 

“No, i was about to but i thought i could use the extra pair of eyes” the brothers walked towards the war room where Sam’s laptop laid on top of Europe. Sam sat down and loaded the camera footage while Dean made coffee in the kitchen. 

“What is going on?” Mary asked as she rushed into the war room still wearing her pj’s, her hair sticking out awkwardly just like Sam’s. 

“Cas and Jack are missing” Sam told her, typing in the password to their cams and quickly going back on the footage to last night around 11pm when they last saw them. 

Just then Dean walked out of the kitchen strategically balancing three steamy coffee mugs. He handed one to each and leaned over Sam to watch the footage. The tree Winchesters watched through two hours in fast forward before suspicious movement caught their attention on the top right corner of the screen. 

“What is that?” asked Mary as Sam zoomed in on the footage. It showed a shiny black object moving into shot and then going still. 

“Looks like a car” said Dean, pointing at what could be a tire “A truck, judging by the size” 

Sam zoomed out and kept playing the footage in fast forward for a few seconds before the bunker’s front door swung open and Cas and Jack walked through. Sam played the rest of the footage at normal speed. They saw Cas walk out of shot, the demons rushing in and chaining Jack while Jack just stared at the spot where Cas’d be before going limp in the demon’s grasp. 

“Fuck” Dean murmured as they watched Jack being dragged towards the truck, Cas lost out of shot the entire time. 

“Did Castiel just kidnapped Jack?” Mary asked, disbelief all over her face. 

“That’s not Cas” Dean assured her. 

“I don’t know, Dean…” Sam trailed off. 

“What? You really think Cas would do such thing?” 

“No! Of course not, Dean. I’m just saying, he’s been off since he came back and you know it” Sam said softly, trying not to set Dean off. 

“Dude’s just worried, that’s all” Dean murmured but not even himself believed that. 

“You know that’s not it” Sam looked at him and Dean sighed. 

“So what? He’s being brainwashed again or something?” Dean asked, rubbing his hands against his face in frustration. 

“I don’t know but whatever it is we need to find them before they break something” Sam said, playing the footage again in case they missed anything. 

“How do we find them?” Mary asked. 

“Same way we found Sam” Dean said, motioning for Sam to scoot over. He quickly hacked into the nearby traffic cams and looked for black trucks driving nearby at the time of the kidnapping. Sadly, Murphy striked again. Two black SUVs were spotted driving closeby around the time of the incident. Dean almost punched a hole through the screen but Sam quickly took the laptop from Dean’s grasp, running both plates through the system. 

Dean stood up and paced around the room in frustration. Of course something had to go wrong. Again. Why does it always have to be Cas, though? Just when he thinks the angel is there and safe and ready to stay, he leaves. He gets himself in throuble and ends up lying to him, almost getting himself killed (and succeeding every now and then). Why can’t the angel just stay? No heaven, no hell, just the Winchester family safe and sound in the bunker, that’s all Dean’s asking for. 

“Dean?” the older hunter looked up to Sam and Mary sitting around the computer “Get this, the first SUV is registered to one Benjamin Weiss from Tucson, Arizona”

“Bit of a long way from here, huh? Especially since it’s the middle of October” Mary said, turning to him.

“Yeah, that’s a bit suspicious” Dean said, rubbing another hand to his face. “What about the other one?”

“That’s where it gets interesting. It was stolen a few weeks ago in Wichita. And it’s owner? Isaac Sanchez? He was reported missing two days later” Sam smirked. 

“That’s it” Dean said, perking up. 

“Yeah, we just need to track the SUV” Sam said, already looking through more traffic cams trying to follow the truck.

“We should still check the other one. Just in case” Dean knew it was unlikely to be that one but he wouldn’t leave a stone unturned. 

“Yeah. You boys can go check the stolen one while i go pay Mr. Weiss a visit” Mary said. 

“Are you sure?” Sam asked. He knew his mom had just been through a bit of a rough time. Last time Mary had used hunting as a coping mechanism it didn’t end up well and he sure as hell didn’t want a repeat of the situation, or worse. 

“Yes, Sam. Don’t worry about me” she smiled sweetly at him before standing up “I’ll go pack” and so she left towards her room. 

“Is she ok?” Dean asked once she was out of earshot. 

“Yeah” Sam said “Yeah i think so” 

“Well you should go pack too. We leave in ten”


	7. Heaven Knows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What the hell is going on with Cas, man?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took longer than usual. This is the longest chapter so far!
> 
> This work has no beta read so sorry for any terrible mistakes.

Jack woke up face down on a concrete floor. He tried to stand up but his limbs felt numb and heavy, as if someone was pinning him down. The sound of rattling chains overlapped the slight hum of a machine in the distance, and as he tried to shift into a more comfortable position a wave of sharp pain shot through his spine, making him cry out. He closed his eyes, trying to focus on his surroundings as well as the vibration of power that courses through his veins like blood, but he couldn't feel anything. Panic started to press down on his chest.  


Jack bit his lip and took a deep breath before trying to sit up again. The pain was almost blinding but somehow he managed to sit propped up on the wall behind him. He looked down at the thick metal chains wrapped around his arms and torso, handcuffs tied his wrists together behind him. Weird engravings covered them, but Jack was unable to recognize any of them from all the lore books and web pages he’d busied himself with while being held up in the bunker.  


He tried struggling against the chains once more but it was useless, whoever had tied him up knew what they were doing. He sighed and leaned against the concrete wall, taking long, steady breaths to keep himself calm. He’d never been kidnapped before and if he was being honest he’d say it’s the most terrified he’s ever been in his short life. Though he was aware that panicking wouldn’t help, at all, so he closed his eyes and willed himself to believe that Castiel and the Winchesters were on their way to rescue him.  


Hours went by before the telltale of hurried footsteps in the distance interrupted the now annoying hum of distant machines. He was either saved or utterly screwed. He closed his eyes and held his breath trying to stay as calm as possible and counted the distant steps.  


One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen…  


“Jack!” The nephilim instantly perked up at the familiar gravelly voice.  


“Castiel!” He cried out, opening his eyes to meet the bright blue ones of his father in the dimly lit room.  


“God, Jack” the angel giggled a key ring in his hands, looking between at least a dozen keys for the correct one “I’ve looked everywhere for you” He finally found the correct one and opened the metal cell door before rushing in.  


Castiel kneeled right next to Jack, struggling with the keys until he finally got the heavy chains off of him. Immediate relief washed over Jack who sighed happily as the all-too familiar vibration of power coursed through his body again. That safe feeling that Castiel carried with him was back, and Jack knew he was going to be ok.  


“I’m so sorry” Jack said “I was so stupid”  


“No, Jack, you weren’t. It’s ok” Castiel said, laying a comforting hand on his forearm.  


“But i thought that was you, i really did. I should’ve known” Jack looked down, embarrassed.  


“It's not your fault” The angel squeezed his arm before letting go, reaching for his upper arm. “Let’s get you back home” Castiel helped Jack up and gently guided him out of the cell.  


“How did you find me so fast?” Jack asked as they walked down the cold halls of what looked like an abandoned factory before they reached a set of double doors with a big bright ‘exit’ sign.  


“I was following a lead nearby when i saw suspicious demon activity around” Cas said as he opened the double doors, sunlight blinding them both for a slight second. “Asmodeus said he had you and well…”  


Both men walked outside towards an old beige truck. “Did you kill him?” Jack asked as he got in.  


Castiel sighed “No” he turned the key and the truck was brought to life “But he’s powered down. We’ll surely get him next time he comes for us”  


~~~  


“I’m special agent Plant, this is my partner special agent Page” Dean said as he showed the fake badges at the local Sheriff.  


“What can i do for you, agents?” Sheriff Queen asked.  


“We’re here for the disappearance of Isaac Sanchez” Sam said, his ‘serious business’ voice echoing through the Sheriff’s office.  


“And why are the feds interested in a middle school teacher’s disappearance?” Queen asked, suspicion written all over her face.  


“We think the case may be involved with some nasty gang business” Dean said, staring firmly at the Sheriff “We understand Mr. Sanchez’ car was stolen a day before his disappearance”  


Sheriff Queen sighed, clearly frustrated “He was on his way home when he was ambushed by a couple SUV’s. The street cams weren’t able to pick up the plates” the Sheriff opened a yellow folder and took out a couple screencaps from said cams, sliding it over to Sam and Dean. The brother’s examined them as Queen kept talking “He wasn’t harmed. He called 911 and was escorted back to his house. The next day we called him for a routine follow up but he didn’t answer. I sent a couple officers over but Mr. Sanchez was gone, no evidence of kidnapping”  


“Could we have a copy of the forensic report?” Sam asked.  


“Of course”  


Ten minutes later they were both sitting in their hotel room’s table, suits hanging in the small closet by the bathroom.  


“So according to this there was no evidence of violence in both incidents” Sam read through the forensic report while Dean looked into screencaps from both the robbery and Jack’s kidnapping. Both ambuscades were way too similar, black SUV’s forming a specific formation to avoid their target’s escape. “There wasn’t really any evidence of a disturbance other than- oh”  


“What?” Dean asked, not once looking up from the pictures on his lap.  


“There was no evidence of disturbance except for a particular smell of rotten meat, though they seem to blame that on the trashcans located a few feet away from both sites” Sam leaned back on his chair, thinking.  


“That’s it, demonic possession. That explains Mr. Sanchez disappearing like that. I bet mom is gonna find the same thing happening to Mr. Weiss. We should warn her” Dean said, reaching for his phone and typing in a quick warning text to Mary.  


“Ok but why would demons be interested in kidnapping a middle school teacher? And why does a teacher have a black SUV?” Sam asked.  


“He must be involved in something other than making tweens write essays” Dean said, finally looking up at Sam.  


“I’ll go check Mr. Sanchez’ place out, see if i can find anything while you try to track the SUV’s plates again” Sam said, standing up from the incredibly uncomfortable chair and grabbing his jacket.  


“Grab us some grub while you’re at it” Dean murmured from his place in once of the beds.  


“Fine, but this time i choose the place” Sam said, looking inside his wallet to make sure he’s got enough cash.  


“Sure, just don’t get me any of your stupid rabbit food”  


~~~  


“Where are we going?” Jack asked. They’d been driving for ten minutes in a comfortable silence when Jack noticed they were driving on the opposite direction to the bunker.  


“I need your help with something before we go home” Castiel said, his grip on the steering wheel shifting a bit. Jack noticed this, though, and frowned. Why was Castiel acting so weird?  


“And what is that?” Jack asked.  


Castiel sighed “It’s the angels. There’s so few of them left and Heaven’s really struggling to function. I was hoping maybe you could boost them up a bit, just a slight power charge, so that they could get it all working again”  


“But i thought angels were bad” Jack said “They tried to kill me”  


“Not all of them are” said Castiel, turning to Jack for a second “Besides we can’t let Heaven collapse. That would be catastrophic to the balance of the universe”  


“So helping Heaven is good?” Jack asked, squinting at Castiel.  


“Yes” Castiel turned again for a slight second, his gaze quickly shifting back to the open road.  


After that the rest of the drive was silent with the occasional rumbling of another car’s engine passing by next to them. Jack looked out the window, frowning. The recent events had him confused, disoriented. It was a lot to take in, finding out Castiel hadn’t really been Castiel, being kidnapped, being chained up with magic chains that had him in pain, then being rescued by the real Castiel who was now taking him on a mission before taking him back home.  


The angels had already tried to force him into helping them save Heaven when they trapped him and the Winchesters in that abandoned boat. They’d tried to hurt his family to get to him, and that was bad. Granted, Castiel hadn't been there to referee. Maybe he could’ve found a way to help without the angels having to use violence against them. Maybe that’s exactly what they’re on their way to do.  


Whatever it was, he knew he could trust Castiel with his life as he’d done before. Whatever it was, he had to prove himself and others that he could do good What better way to do this than by saving Heaven and all the souls in there, including his mom.  


They drove for an hour before Castiel finally stopped in a field in the middle of nowhere. Castiel was out of the truck as soon as he killed the engine. Jack followed after him hesitantly. The angel walked a few feet away before he finally turned to Jack, reaching a hand out to him.  


“I need you to transfer some of your power to me like you did when we got rid of Dagon” The angel smiled at Jack “Then i can go to Heaven and power it up”  


“Will it take long?” Jack asked, voice shaking a little “I want to go home”  


“It won’t, I promise”  


~~~  


Dean sighed, ghosting a hand over his face in frustration. He’d been running both SUV’s plates through all the systems he could think of but nothing came up. He reached over for his third beer, taking long gulps before setting it back on the table with a loud clang, half empty.  


He looked over at his phone, finding no new texts from Mary. He’d tried to call her but she said she was busy trying to get through Mr. Weiss who seemed too shaken to talk. Mary was confident of her interrogation skills and had assured Dean she’d get the information they needed soon enough but she had to focus.  


He was ready to shut down the computer when, finally, something came up. Mr. Sanchez’ SUV ran a red light in the outskirts of Bloomington, Illinois. He followed the streetlight cams and finally found the SUV stopping right outside an abandoned factory. He took another sip of beer as he sped up the footage from the factory. That’s when he saw Castiel and Jack get on the truck.  


Dean frowned, confused. Jack had seen Castiel kidnap him, why was he leaving that place with him? He quickly got the truck’s plates and after a few minutes of search he found it had ran three different red lights, all very recent. He looked through the footage of the town next over but found nothing. Wherever they’d gone it was somewhere in the middle of nothing. He sighed and reached for his phone to call Sam, updating him on his founds.  


Sam rushed back. He didn’t find anything useful from Sanchez’ place. The police were right about no apparent evidence of kidnapping and the horrible smell of rotten meat in the air. Sadly, he forgot about dinner, but that didn’t matter much at the moment.  


The brothers quickly packed their belonging and set their course towards the truck where Castiel had taken Jack.  


“What the hell is Cas doing, man?” Sam asked, watching the footage of Castiel and Jack leaving the factory and getting inside the truck from his place in the passenger seat.  


“I don’t know but whatever he’d planning we need to know” Dean said, gripping the steering wheel tighter.  


“Whatever it is they must be getting on it by now. I mean you said they stopped somewhere in the middle of nowhere, that must’ve been somewhere around thirty minutes ago” Sam said.  


“Crap” Dean murmured, pressing down on the gas.  


~~~  


“Take my hand, Jack” Castiel said, thrusting his hand further into Jack’s space instinctively.  


“Are you sure about this?” Jack asked, feeling doubt about the general situation.  


“Of course i’m sure about this!” Castiel said, raising his voice.Jack gulped and took a step back.  


“Are you really Castiel?” He asked, staring directly at the man in front of him.  


“Of course it’s me, Jack!” He took a step forward “I rescued you from that awful place, remember?”  


“You’re acting strange” Jack said, taking two steps back.  


Castiel sighed “I know, Jack. It’s just that i really, really need your help with this. I’ve failed Heaven so many times… i must do something to atone for my sins” Castiel looked down in shame, shaking his head slightly.  


“But the angels are bad. They tried to kill me” Jack insisted.  


“I know” Castiel looked back up “But Heaven’s a priority right now”  


Jack bit his lip. Ling was bad, but this seemed like something worse. He had to find a way out, somehow.  


“I’m still feeling a bit off from earlier, i need some time to rest” he said, looking down and hoping the angel didn’t pick up on his lie. To be honest Jack felt better than he thought he should be, considering everything he’d all-too recently been through. Still, he knew he couldn’t do what Castiel asked of him, no matter how much trist he had on him, because everything felt slightly odd. Even though he felt the security Castiel's presence brought with him, he could still tell something was off and he wasn’t ready to do anything unless that odd feeling went away.  


Castiel sighed “Fine. Go lay down on the truck while i talk to the angels”  


~~~  


Dean pressed his foot flat on the gas. Sam held on to dear life next to him, silently praying they didn’t get into an accident before they reached Cas and Jack.  


They’d called Mary and updated her on their findings and in exchange she told them about hers. Turns out Mr. Weiss had been possessed. She managed to trap him in a devils trap and after an intense interrogation the demon told her about Asmodeus.  


According to this demon, Asmodeus was held up in an abandoned factory, much like Crowley’s abandoned nut house, adnthat he was building up a plan. The demon didn’t seem to know many details about said plan, claiming Asmodeus had some trust issues with the demons. What he did know is that the prince was looking for Jack, and that he wouldn’t rest until he had the kid on his side. He also knew that Asmodeus had managed to take powerful prisoners, though he never mentioned who said prisoners were.  


After getting all the information she could, Mary exorcised the demon and helped Mr. Weiss return home. She told him he’d been drugged and that she’d found him in a dumpster by a bar. Thankfully Benjamin was convinced of this and agreed to let Mary help him.  


She was too far away to reach the boys, though, so she agreed to meet them in the bunker.  


An hour later they were driving on the highway in the middle of nowhere where Cas had presumptly taken Jack. Both brothers looked and looked until they finally found the beige truck and Dean pulled over right next to it.  


Dean grabbed his gun and walked towards the truck while Sam searched through tall plants and trees for any sign of their friends.  


And so as Dean looked through the truck’s back window he came face to face with Jack.  


“Dean’” the nephilim asked as he opened the door.  


“Jack!” the older hunter exclaimed “What the hell, man? What happened?!”  


“I-I don’t know” Jack said as he slowly got out of the truck “Back at the bunker, that wasn’t Castiel”  


“What do you mean?” Dean’s face twisted in a confused frown.  


“It was Asmodeus. He told me he had to tell me something but he wanted to talk outside so i followed him” Jack looked down in shame “Dean i thought that was really my father”  


“And how are you here?” Dean asked exasperated.  


“Castiel. The real Castiel. He rescued me from that place. It was horrible and cold but he said he managed to trap Asmodeus and he got me out. I thought he was going to take me home but he said we had to help the angels first”  


“The angels?” Dean’s frown deepened, disbelief pooling in his gut. “What the hell is he doing with those bastards again?!”  


“I don’t know, exactly. He said Heaven is in trouble and that they needed me to power it back up” Jack looked back up at Dean “He said it was a good thing to do”  


“Where is he?” Dean asked as he pressed the palm of his hand to his forehead, a headache started to take over him.  


“I don’t know. I told him i was too tired at the moment and he sent me here to rest”  


Dean sighed. “Come on” he grabbed Jack’s arm and guided him towards the impala “Sit here” he opened the backseat and helped Jack in. They could not risk losing him again.  


“Dean” Sam said as he reached the impala. “There’s no one around”  


“Well at least we’ve got Jack here. Now we just gotta find Cas” Dean leaned against the trunk, thinking. Something was very, very wrong with Castiel.  


“I’m sure he’s fine” Sam said, trying to comfort his brother but the older hunter just shot a glare at him.  


Inside the impala Jack leaned against the backseat. He really was tired, after everything that had happened and now Castiel going missing…  


_“Jack”_  


The nephilim looked around but both brothers were leaning against the car’s trunk talking.  


_“Jack it’s me”_ this time he was able to recognize the angel’s voice. _“I need you to meet me here. Please”_  


Jack looked back at the brothers. He could feel the tension radiating from both of them, specially Dean. He knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to bother either of them at the moment. ut he had to know what was going on with Castiel, why was he truly helping the angels? And why was he acting so strange?  


He sighed and closed his eyes, focusing on the location of the voice. And suddenly he was standing in the middle of a cornfield next to the angel.  


“Did you rest well?” the angel asked him.  


“Yes” Jack nodded “Sam and Dean are here”  


“I know”  


“Maybe we should tell them-”  


“No” Castiel interrupted him “No, they would try to stop us” the angel took a step closer to Jack.  


“Why? Why do they say helping the angels is bad? Why do you think it’s good?” Jack squinted at him, confused.  


“I can’t let Heaven die like this” Castiel said, looking directly into Jack’s eyes “After everything i’ve done, the least i can do is this. But i can’t do it alone. I need your help, Jack. Please”  


Jack stared at Castiel for a couple seconds before he reached forward and took Castiel's hand in his “Okay”  


~~~  


“We should take the kid back to the bunker” Dean said, turning back to the front door of the impala, Sam following to the other side. The hunters got in but to their surprise the backseat was empty.  


“Jack?” Sam turned around and franctly looked for any sign of the nephilim but he was definitely gone.  


“Son of a bitch” Dean cursed as he got out of the impala.  


“Jack!” Sam called out, getting out of the passenger seat.  


“Jack!” Dean followed, walking towards the cornfield.  


As soon as he reached the first golden strands, a blinding light stopped him dead in his tracks.  


“Damn it. Jack!” he heard Sam call out once again from behind him. Without thinking twice both brothers rushed inside the cornfield, following the light. They reached the clearing where Jack and Cas stood, their hands clasped between them, bright light shining all around them.  


“Jack, stop!” Dean screamed at him “That’s not Cas!”  


Jack turned to him then back at Castiel.  


“Jack it’s me!” Castiel said desperately “Please you have to help me! It’s really me!”  


But as the light shined brighter the nephilim’s sight got clear. He immediately let go of the thing’s hand.  


“Who are you?!” He screamed at it. The thing just sighed and smiled.  


“Doesn’t matter, i got what i wanted” and with that the thing’s eyes turned bright red and in a puff of smoke, it was gone.


	8. The Great Escape: Low Budget Edition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer and Castiel build the Dream Team to stop evil Michael. 
> 
> Meanwhile the Winchesters are more confused than ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh My God the mid-season premiere is almost here!!! 
> 
> Thank you all for your comments and support, i really really really appreciate it <3 
> 
> No beta read, sorry for the awful grammar/spelling mistakes.
> 
> Shameless self promo: come say hi to my Tumblr: @anathema-in-purgatory

Lucifer sat in his cell, wrists and ankles wrapped tightly in metal chains covered in sigils. Trying to function with just a small portion of his grace had been uncomfortable, borderline painful (and not in the kinky way he loved), but being completely bound like this was pure torture. He could feel the cold from the concrete floor slowly seep through his clothes, making him shiver and despite this the humidity in the air sticked to his face and neck like sweat on a hot summer day. Not that he knew what it felt like to sweat under the sun, he was powerful enough not to be aware of such things happening amongst humans. Keyword: was.  


He groaned as his muscles started to stiffen because of the awkward position he’d found himself in. This whole imprisonment thing was really getting on his nerves. You’d think that after spending millenia on the cage he’d be used to this kind of confinement but believe it or not, the cage was kind of comfy, no archangel responsibilities and annoying dads to deal with. Plus, those last few years he’d had his mentally challenged big bro keeping him company. It had been quite entertaining and satisfying to see the powerfully driven archangel slowly break, piece by piece, into nothing. Yeah, ok, maybe it had hurt a bit but he was used to getting hurt. In fact, he kind of gets off to it now, built his whole brand on it too. So yeah, no big deal.  


He licked his lips, contemplating which old tune he could whistle along to, craving that satisfaction of making others suffer along with him. Who knows how long he’s been sitting here, listening to Asmodeus’ evil monologue over and over again. A machine rumbled in the background giving the archangel a headache. Yet another petty thing he’d thought he’d never have the misfortune to experience. Occasionally footsteps echoed through the long, empty hallways of the building.  


Lucifer was aware of just how big the place was, how many demons stood where, the kind of guardings placed, everything. The only thing holding him back were these stupid chains. He’d studied the sigils, having been present during most of creation he was fairly certain he could crack most of them but he’d still be bound. Stupid Asmodeus knew exactly where most of Lucifer’s weaknesses stood, having been one of his most trusted once.  


Lucifer sighed. He’d seen it coming from miles away. His creations could sense just how little he cared about them. After all, he just wanted to show what he was capable of doing, not thinking of just how much commitment would be expected of him on the long run. And once he realized that, just like himself, his creations wouldn't be taken under blind faith, he decided to change his formula. But it was much too late, the princes were far too powerful to be easily stopped. So he called Cain and hoped he could clean up his mess, but the damn knight didn’t finish the job. He’d only gotten rid of the other knights, not even getting close to any of the princes. Even when Lucifer knew how much of a longshot that had been, he was still disappointed, refusing to let any of his actual fear show.  


As all of the universe is ignorant of, the archangel just rolled with it, hoping that he’d be locked down for long enough to avoid the mess. But karma is certainly a bitch, bringing him back just in time to witness the whole clusterfuck. His dad truly had the worst sense of humor.  


Sense of humor…  


The archangel struggled to get into a kneeling position, looking around the cell walls. On the far back, pointing directly at Lucifer’s nose as if saying _‘I’m right here, you stupid fuck’_ was a rusty screw and in one of the corners laid a pile of concrete pieces and broken glass. Was Asmodeus really this stupid? The archangel smirked and slowly shuffled towards the other side of the cell.  


“What do you think you’re doing?” Demon minion number 4 asked, gripping the metal bars of the cell door.  


“Just trying to get comfy, this whole ‘almost human’ gig really does have its ups and downs, you know?” Lucifer said, using the wall to slowly rise himself to his feet.  


The demon glared at him “Asmodeus will be back soon” she threatened.  


“Oh yeah, can’t wait to see his sweet little face again” Lucifer said, still leaning against the wall.  


“He will destroy you” the demon snarled.  


Lucifer smirked. “I’d like to see him try” and with that he let his whole body weight down, the screw catching on the chains around his wrists, breaking them in half.  


With all the speed and dexterity he could muster, the archangel grabbed one of the concrete rocks and smashed the restrains around his ankles. As the demon opened the cell holding a pair of what he presumed to be warded handcuffs, Lucifer reached for one of the glass pieces and lunged himself at the demon, slicing its throat. It wouldn’t kill her, but it would be enough to slow her down for long enough.  


He walked out of the cell and with a vengeful smile on his face he cut and severed demons left and right. He made sure to be thorough with his work, not satisfied until the demonic vessel’s white meat showed. He breathed heavily as he looked around, making sure no one had had the misfortune of escaping. Once satisfied with his surveillance he grabbed the keyring from his first chop and turned to Castiel’s cell.  


As much as he hated to admit it, the stupid angel was useful. If he wanted to stop mad Michael from destroying everything, he’d need the little angel’s help. With a sorrowful sigh he opened the cell door.  


“Let’s get out of here” he said, stepping into the angel’s cell.  


“Why would you free me?” Castiel asked, not making an effort to try and stand up from his curled up position in one corner of the cell.  


“Because as much as i hate to admit it, you’re useful to me” the archangel said. He kneeled down next the the angel and grabbed his wrists. Castiel flinched a bit at the touch, but his eyes remained defiant and stern. As if breaking a chicken’s neck, the archangel snapped the chains off of the angel.  


Castiel rubbed his tender wrists and finally stood up.  


“Wait just a second, sunshine” the archangel’s smirk got wider, a firm hand pressing on Cas’ shoulder. “I’m gonna need you to do a little something for me before we do anything”  


~~~  


“Damn it!” Dean screamed in frustration as the puff of smoke slowly faded.  


“Dean…” Jack gasped, a horrified look on his face “I’m so sorry”  


“It’s ok, Jack” Sam said, placing a comforting hand on the nephilim’s forearm.  


“No, it’s truly not ok” Dean huffed out. “What even is going on?! And where the fuck is the real Cas?!”  


“We’ll find him, Dean” Sam assured him, his voice calm and steady. Dean was a ticking time bomb and it was in Sam’s hands to defuse him before he did something stupid as he often does when Cas goes missing like this. “Right now we need to get somewhere safe”  


And so Sam guided Jack back to the Impala, Dean reluctantly following them a couple steps back. They drove in silence the rest fo the highway to the first motel they could find. For some reason it had a hawaiian theme, the bright colors a big contrast to Dean’s moody frame.  


As soon as they were finished warding the entire room with spray-painted sigils and charms, Dean offered to get them something to eat while Sam and Jack did whatever. The older hunter gave the others no time to protest as he rushed outside. When he left, the tension in the room decreased drastically. Sam took a deep breath, reaching out for his phone. He looked up at Jack, who was currently laying on one of the beds, curled up on his side. Sam could only see his back, but he could guess just how the nephilim was feeling. He debated whether he should talk to him first but decided on giving him some time alone.  


Looking back to his phone he dialed his mom’s number, telling him about the day’s events.  


“So back at the bunker, that wasn’t Castiel?” she asked. Her voice had a weird echo to it, courtesy of talking on speakerphone while driving well over the speed limit on a fairly empty highway.  


“No, we don’t know who it really was but it definitely wasn’t him” Sam said, his brows knitted together in worry.  


“Could it be Asmodeus?” Mary asked, placing a cold french fry on her mouth. She didn’t have time to stop at a diner and have descent meal, so she settled for a burger and some fries as she drove.  


“Most likely, yes, though we still don’t know how he managed to walk through the bunker’s warding”  


“He’s a prince of hell, he can do anything” Mary said, flashbacks of their failed attack on Ramiel haunting her once again.  


“Yeah well, that doesn’t mean we can’t stop him” ever the optimist, Sam smiled softly, trying to convey the good feeling over the phone to avoid upsetting his mom.  


It worked. Mary returned the soft smile unawaringly “Damn right. I’ll see you boys soon” she said, taking another french fry from the greasy paper bag that laid on the passenger seat next to her phone.  


A couple minutes after hanging up Sam finally stood from his place in the table by the only window in the room and slowly walked towards Jack, making as much noise as he could as to alert the nephilim of his presence.  


“Jack…” he said softly, sitting by his feet on the edge of the bed. “We need to talk about this”  


“About what?” Jack murmured, his face pressed to the old, bright green pillow. “About how i disobeyed you, how i gave something we don’t know more power, how i was so easily fooled?” the nephilim snarled, curling up further into himself.  


“Jack… it wasn’t your fault” Sam said, once again placing a comforting hand on the kid’s arm. “We were all tricked into thinking he was the real Cas”  


“But he’s my father, Sam” Jack said, slowly sitting up on the bed “I should know him good enough to know when he really is himself”  


“Jack, you’ve only been with him for a couple days” Sam said, looking at him in the eye “Yes, he’s your father and i’m sure he loves and cares about you as much as you do about him but you can’t really know someone after such little time, no matter how much you trust them” Sam sighed “We’ve known Cas for a decade and still we were put off by whoever that was”  


“I just hope he’s ok”  


~~~  


Lucifer appeared back in the woods behind the bunker, a satisfied smile on his face. He looked down at the corpse he’d been dragging around and sighed.  


“Well it was fun while it lasted. Again” he said to no one in particular.  


He dropped the corpse and kneeled next to it before opening his mouth and willing his grace, his being, out and back to where it had been the last few years. He coughed as he breathed life back into the corpse, standing up on shaky legs. He dusted off the tan jacket and fitted jeans as he watched Castiel reclaim his vessel.  


Lucifer looked down at his hands then up to Heaven. “Guess you’re not getting that help any time soon” and with the flick of his wrist the entire state of Kansas was covered in grey clouds, thunders echoing all around.  


Castiel rolled his eyes, disgust and guilt wrenching his gut. He sighed, closing his eyes. Why did he allow Lucifer in again?  


To be fair, the archangel did comply with his end of the bargain and returned to his own vessel after the gig was done. But still, he’d hurt and betrayed his family again. After this was over, who knows if the Winchester will ever trust him again. Castiel sighed sorrowfully, at least they’ll all be safe.  


“You didn’t tell me my son was so cute” the archangel said “So naive… definitely the Winchester’s work. But that power, woo! That kid is gonna bring the entire universe to its knees, i can guarantee that” he smiled proudly.  


Castiel sighed once again. Lucifer, like many other angels, did not understand what it means to be a father. He only cared about power and what Jack can do for him, but he doesn’t stop to think about what he can do for Jack, the satisfying feeling of having someone to guide and care for, someone to love more than oneself.  


“And on the topic of daddies” Lucifer turned to Castiel, who was still sitting on the ground. “I’ve decided we can’t do this by ourselves. I mean no offense but you’re kind of the weak link here” the archangel smirked, mocking Castiel’s earlier words. “So i’m gonna get us someone else to join the army”  


With that the archangel grabbed Castiel’s shoulder and flew them to the sandbox. The angel looked around, a bit startled by the sudden change of scenery.  


“Wait here” Lucifer said, walking towards heaven’s door.  


“Lucifer! What are you going to do?” Castiel questioned him, finally standing on his feet.  


“Relax, i’m not gonna break the universe or anything” Lucifer said before activating the spell and jumping through the door.  


Castiel looked around, confused. Why weren’t they being stopped. What's happened to the angels guarding the door?  


Suddenly the voices on angel radio got so loud, Castiel wasn’t able to keep them muted as he always did these days. He groaned and hunched over, holding his head in his hands. It was the middle of the night so there was no one around to notice him.  


Claims of _Lucifer’s back! How is this possible?!_ and _Go away, serpent!_ echoed in the angel’s head.  


He lost track of time but slowly the voices faded back to their muted state and a couple minutes later the door to heaven opened once again. Lucifer emerged, someone sprawled over his shoulder unmoving.  


“Damn, i had to go in deep to get this one out” He said, walking towards Castiel “Let’s go” he reached a hand to Castiel’s shoulder and they all disappeared once again.


	9. Welcome Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys try to figure out who is behind all this.
> 
> Meanwhile Lucifer brings a new member to the team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a bit harder to write and i still think it all came out weird but whatever. Hope you guys like it :)
> 
> Come say hi to my Tumblr @anathema-in-purgatory

As much as he hates to admit it, Dean Winchester is scared. Sure, he’s angry, frustrated, upset, but most importantly he’s terrified for Castiel. They’ve been successfully bamboozled twice by what seems like two different enemies and Dean had absolutely no idea. Sure, he’d known something was wrong at the bunker but he oh so easily dismissed it as being too tired, having been through a lot in a short period of time. It was all his fault. 

There was no one, angel or human, that knew Castiel better than Dean Winchester did. Even if the guy wasn’t the greatest at facial expressions or basic human body language, Dean had been able to pick up on the way the angel communicated. From long stares to his choice of words, Dean had always been able to tell when something was wrong with the angel. Or so he thought. Now, this was all on him. If only he’d been able to tell sooner, they could’ve stopped whoever is doing this and perhaps even get a chance to get the real Cas back. 

He didn’t even know if his best friend was still alive. 

Ramiel had been so determined to stab Cas with the Lance of Michael and sit back and watch him die slowly and painfully, who knows what Asmodeus is capable of? Knowing the prince’s abilities, he was most likely involved in all this. Thing is, all evidence seems to point out that prince of hell or not, Asmodeus is not working alone. And the uncertainty is killing Dean. 

The hunter sighed as he walked into a random diner. The smell of greasy food hit him like a sharp slap on the face that brought him back to reality. His priority right now is to get some food then drill Jack on what exactly happened in that cornfield. The bright light and the electricity in the air seemed to suggest something Dean dreaded more than almost anything, but he was still willing to believe in a chance where he might be wrong. 

He ordered the first few items he saw on the menu and sat on a booth by the window to wait. The waitress, a dark haired woman in her mid 20’s brought him a cup of coffee accompanied by a suggestive wink. The older hunter nodded politely, thanking her for the coffee and being as discreet as he could in his rejection. As much as he could use to blow off some steam, he needed to focus on getting Cas back and solving whatever-the-fuck was happening now. 

He slowly sipped on his coffee and stared at the empty seat in front of him, thinking. He wondered how long had Cas not been the real Cas. The texts, the phone calls (mostly directed to Sam), the lack of head tilts… it had all been going on for a while. He wished he could pinpoint an exact moment but it all seemed too hazy, specially after getting his mom back. 

Suddenly someone was gently shaking him away from his own thoughts. He looked up surprised to find the same waitress staring back at him holding two greasy paper bags. He apologized, paid for the meals and shuffled out of the diner. 

The walk back at the motel was a blur, thoughts of Cas laying somewhere cold and dark while someone else pretended to be him clouding his mind. 

When he opened the motel room door he was met with a quite heartwarming sight. Sam and Jack were hugging, Jack’s face buried in Sam’s neck while Sam rubbed his hand up and down Jack’s back in a comforting gesture. It reminded Dean of their younger days, when Sam wold have a nightmare and Dean would hug him until he calmed down, holding him the exact same way his baby brother was now hugging the new kid in their lives. 

Something tugged at his heart when he thought about how sad it was that Cas was missing out on this moment. Dean cleared his throat, trying to push those emotions as far back as he could, and noisily dropped both paper bags on top of the little table by the TV set. 

Sam slowly let go of Jack and with a tight-lipped smile he stood up and opened one of the food bags. 

They ate in a fairly comfortable silence. Tension still radiated off of Dean but it wasn’t as intense as before. Occasionally the older hunter could feel both pairs of eyes on him but he wisely chose to ignore them, knowing his family was just as worried as he was, just expressing themselves differently. 

Dean could see how scared Jack was, how the nephilim thought it was his fault. The hunter knew it wasn’t, Jack had been fooled just as he was. Plus the kid barely even knew Cas well enough to tell right away. It had all been a combination of hits to their weak spots. And now Dean feels guilty for being so cold towards him. Lately, the poor kid had been the target for Dean’s anger and now the hunter can finally see that that is not fair to both Cas and Jack. 

Sam went out to the Impala to get something from the trunk. _It’s now or never_ Dean thought as he sighed and walked towards Jack who sat in one of the beds watching something on Sam’s laptop.

“Hey kid” he said as he sat next to him “What are you watchin’?”.

Jack didn’t dare to turn to him “Something called Star Wars. Sam said i would like it” he mumbled.

“Well i’m more of a Star Trek guy myself, but still, not bad” the hunter smiled slightly, of course his geeky brother would have Jack watching Star Wars. 

There was an awkward silence between them, the slight rumble from Jack’s headphones the only this stopping Dean from clearing his throat to break it. He sighed, Sam would be back soon and who knows when he’ll get another chance to say this without backing out. 

“Jack” he said sternly. The nephilim froze and, reluctantly, turned to the older hunter. “What happened, it wasn’t your fault” 

“Yes, it was” Jack said. “I trusted-”

“Jack” Dean interrupted “It’s not your fault. You’ve only been alive for less than a month, how in the hell are you supposed to know things like this happen. Hell, not even i could tell it really wasn't Cas. So just stop kicking yourself down for this. It’s. Not. Your. Fault” he made sure to emphasize each word as they left his lips. 

“But he’s my father” Jack replied weakly. 

“Yes and i’m sure the guy cares about you just as much as you do. Hell he even died for you” Jack automatically flinched as Dean said this, causing the hunter to backtrack immediately “What i mean is, he knows, ok? He knows and wherever he is we will find him and bring him home. I promise.” and with that Sam walked back inside. 

Dean stood up from his place on the motel bed. “Well i don’t know about you two but i’m beat. I’m gonna take a shower and hit the sack”

The next day they set up early to meet Mary back at the bunker. While Sam left to do the entire checking out thing, Jack reached out to Dean.

“Dean” he said as the older hunter loaded the last duffel back on the trunk.

“Yeah?” Dean asked, closing the trunk. 

“I just wanted to thank you, for what you said” the nephilim smiled softly “You’re right. We’re going to get him back” 

“Damn straight” and so Dean climbed into the drivers seat. 

The drive back to the bunker was pretty uneventful. They did a few pit stops where Sam and Dean once again took it upon themselves to educate the nephilim on the diversity of road snacks. Jack seemed to favor sweet things like gummy bears and licorice over the classics like beef jerky and chips.   
Dean also had Jack choose the music which surprised Sam a lot. He was going to make a sarcastic comment but then he saw both their faces light up as Jack chose an old AC/DC tape. He swallowed his comment and leaned back as his brother tapped his fingers on the steering wheel and occasionally sang along.

Mary was already there when they both arrived. She quickly hugged each of her boys as they made their way in carrying duffle bags and such. As soon as they were done getting settled they all sat down in the war room, after all they had business to discuss. 

“We need to list every supernatural being we know of that could pull off something like this” Mary said, Sam already on it as he dragged a white board and some washable markers. 

“Obviously Asmodeus is our first suspect” Dean said.

“Yes, he’s the one who kidnapped me after all” Jack added. 

“And we know he can shapeshift” Mary said, taking a sip of her coffee. 

“Great. Who else is out there?” Sam asked.

“Lucifer” Mary said “I mean he lost a good part of his grace but i’m sure being an archangel and all he could easily find a way to power up”}

“Crap” Dean muttered. All eyes turned to him “Do you think that’s what he was doing at that corn field?” 

“Crap” Sam mirrored, worrying his bottom lip. 

“So you’re saying that it was him? He’s the one who rescued me?” Jack asked, his brows knitted together in confusion. 

“And he charged himself up with your power or whatever” Dean said. 

“Do you think he’s back to archangel power?” Mary asked. 

“He better not be” Sam responded. If this was true well… God help them all. 

~~~

“Where are we?” Castiel asked, looking around. He was standing on what looked like a very spacious living room. Black couches complimented the wine colored carpet and overall dark aesthetic of the place. A big chandelier hung from the ceiling, different types of paintings and sculptures littered the room, all displaying a tasteful amount of blood and gore. 

“Safe house i built a few years ago during the apocalypse” Lucifer said, dropping the unconscious bulk on one of the couches “Neat, right?”. Castiel looked at Lucifer, then back at the now occupied couch in bewilderment. 

“Who is that?” he asked softly, though he thinks he already has an idea but it still doesn’t make sense. 

“Daddy Winchester, of course!” Lucifer said, sitting in the sofa adjacent from John’s comatose form.

“Why?” Castiel asked, his eyes glued to the man’s face. John Winchester was a rough-looking man. Expression marks litteres his forehead and around his mouth, barely visible under his dark stubble. Overall he looked like the embodiment of war. Having read the man’s journal a couple times before Castiel was well aware of John Winchester’s suffering, the demons he carried on the inside as well as on the outside. 

“Well he’s known to be one of the greatest hunters to ever live and i hate to admit it but he will be useful if we plan to take on Michael without my son’s help” Lucifer waved his hand and suddenly he was holding a glass of scotch. “Want some while sleeping beauty wakes up? Unless you wanna kiss him back to life” the archangel smirked at the angel and took a sip from his glass. 

Castiel, not being able to restrain himself, rolled his eyes before sighing and sitting on the loveseat between Lucifer and John. 

“Sorry, wrong Winchester” The archangel winked at the angel who just sat back and tried his best to ignore him. “Oh come on! I thought the Winchesters had done a banged up job at getting that stick out of your ass” he took another sip from his scotch “Oh right! Where are my manners? Would you like some?” he waved his hand and another glass of scotch appeared on Castiel’s hand. 

The angel stared at it for a second before taking a sip himself “Thank you” 

“That’s what big brothers are for, right?” Cas tensed up at this, turning to Lucifer with narrow eyes. 

“You’re not my brother” he snarled, chugging the rest of the scotch. 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever” Lucifer dismissed, sitting up. “I’m gonna go check with my informants, see what they know about the other Michael and stuff. Don’t go anywhere while i’m gone” Lucifer pointed at Castiel in a warning tone “Oh and look after Johnny boy too”. 

A few seconds later Lucifer was gone in a flutter of wings. Castiel sighed, placing the empty glass on the coffee table in the middle of the room before sitting back and staring at John. 

How is he going to react to all this? He’s only been gone for a bit more than a decade, half of the time Mary was gone, but still a lot of things had changed in his absence. For one, Sam and Dean were now full grown men. They’ve both been through so much, the world John had introduced them to had changed its definition over the years. Not everything was as white and black as John had seen it to be and things the ex-marine had seen as unfathomable were now a normal occurance to the boys. How were they going to explain that to John? 

And Mary. How was he going to react to her. The reason why he became a hunter in the first place, his wonderful wife, she wasn’t what John had pictured her to be. This image of the perfect woman he’d painted in his head after she died was so not true, how is he going to react to seeing the truth hidden behind the illusions of a desperate mind? 

There were so many things to consider, but now that Castiel thought about it, it is all an afterthought. How will John Winchester react to having been resurrected by none other than Lucifer himself? How is Lucifer going to coerce this man to join them? Clearly the man is going to refuse any kind of partnership with the one responsible of all the mishaps in his life. 

If he does and they successfully take care of Michael and hopefully get rid of Lucifer for good, will this man want to go back to his family? How will Sam react? Dean? Mary? Will they all try and become the family they once had been? Will they be able to get over previous disputes? Will they-

Castiel’s thoughts came to a halt as he spotted very subtle movement from the couch next to him. Slowly, John Winchester regained consciousness. As he became aware of the very uncomfortable feeling of being brought back to life, he groaned. 

Castiel quickly jumped up from the couch as if it had burned him. He considered kneeling next to the couch but immediately dismissing that thought, knowing he had to give a slow and careful approach to the situation. The man was unpredictable and Castiel had to be prepared for every possible scenario. 

Suddenly the man on the couch stood stood up and looked around in alarm. As soon as he spotted Castiel standing a few feet back trying to look as non threateningly as he could, he pounced at him. The angel quickly tried to stop him, avoiding the hunter’s fists and trying to seize him without hurting him. Finally he was able to bound him back to the couch. 

With everything that had been going on lately the angel forgot that he was back at full power minus the wings, courtesy of the empty. And it’s not that he actually forgot, but for a while the angel had turned to using more human esources to get the job done rather than relying on the powers of heaven as any other angel would for no particular reason other than appreciating the hard work of humans as much as trying to emulate them as much as he could. 

“What are you?!” John snarled, demanding and threateningly. 

Suddenly Castiel was brought back to that September night in the barn where he introduced himself to the righteous man. Back then he was just doing Heaven’s work, or so he thought. The angel had no idea how much that single human would flip his world upside down, driving him to do things he once thought of as shameful and unspeakable all in the name of humanity.

“My name is Castiel. I’m an angel of the lord”


	10. Perfect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally an insight on Michael's plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit shorter than usual but i couldn't add more withought making it thrice as long. It'll be worth it, trust me :)
> 
> Come say hi to my Tumblr: @anathema-in-purgatory

_Wonderful. Absolutely perfect._

The archangel took a deep breath. _Ah, yes. The smell of life._ A bit earthy, overwhelming, but mostly it was just too... too alive.   
He hated the concept. All these energies dancing around the universe, feeling, being. They made up every single thing his Father had created. Those things that had once been perfect, that beautiful paradise he’d promised them was destroyed by its flaws and corruption and sin. Being the first being created by Him, Michael had witnessed it all. His creations, beautiful celestial beings born of light and grace, and his failures, mistakes born of His uncertainty of what He wanted for the universe. 

Of course, his Father didn’t believe on taking those lives he’d oh so generously given. No, instead he believed in punishment. Setting examples for Creation, the Do’s and Don'ts of the universe. Locking them up and keeping them as a reminder of what happened when they got out of line. Michael couldn’t understand how his Father had expected everything to run smoothly just from that. In the end, tentacion became the real villain and soon enough all his mistakes were poisoned by it. Between the chaos of control and destruction, He left. 

God left without leaving a warning or any kind of instruction manual on how to run a universe plagued by flaws. Just when the grey spectrums and plot holes started appearing incessantly in His Great Plan, he bailed on them. On him. 

Michael never understood why He would do that. The archangel had seen his Father work hard to try and mend his mistakes. God had been hands on for the first few thousands of years, intervening whenever things got too out of grasp. How could He suddenly give up and leave? 

Of course Michael, as well as the other angels, couldn’t take it. That light that always shone over them and made them feel safe and content was gone. The mess got even messier and those rules that had been engraved on their brains clearer than their own names suddenly became pointless. After all, the ruler was gone. Temptation became the new King. 

And it was good while it lasted, or at least better than what came next. From the universe’s perspective, anyways. Michael was well aware of the wrongs of his Father, and with him gone the archangel saw the opportunity to eradicate them as God should’ve done in the first place to finally create that promised paradise.

First, he started the apocalypse. Now that wasn’t too hard, the Righteous Man turned out to be an alcoholic ex-marine who had nothing but his name and a couple bucks on his pockets. He immediately had his siblings raiding Hell for him. With a few threats to some woman he claimed to love Michael was able to coerce him into cooperating. The archangel took his sword and slayed Lucifer without hesitation. The fact that the serpent was using a defective vessel sure did make it easier. 

Then, he set himself as the new God. It wasn’t so hard to get everyone to follow him, after all he had just killed his own brother, the one he’d known and adored for the longest time before he betrayed their Father’s trust. Everyone knew he was capable of anything after that, and no one had the guts to get in his way. He declared war on every unperfect mistake that dared to roam the universe. Demons, humans, vampires, ghouls, they were all targets. The heavenly army set off it’s wrath on Earth, doing worse damage than Lucifer could’ve ever even thought of. 

Except that Michael was completely different to the adversary. He wasn’t going to throw an immature fit to get back at his Father. No, what Michael was doing was righting His wrongs, building the true universe his Father had envisioned once. And maybe then, He’d come back and stay in their new paradise, praising Michaels work. 

Michel’s plan worked. In less than a few months most imperfections were gone. Life started to dim away into a concept that only belonged to those who could emulate pure perfection naturally. God’s ideal creations. And those who asked why they got to live, well, they got a nice little speech before being destroyed and thrown to rot in the Empty. 

_God created angelic beings as a beautiful and perfect image of his true vision of the universe. As his first creations we got to witness his failings over and over again, unknowingly he’d already made worthful beings to love and cherish Him- When he finally understood this, he stopped. And now that he’s gone we’ve been left here with a mess to clean up. Because we were allowed to exist in the same realm as Him we are more than aware of what he truly wanted for the universe. And that is for His filthy mistakes to disappear_

And now he's found another universe that desperately needs to be purged of its flaws. This other version of Lucifer is even worse than the one he’s already gotten rid of. This one was even more childish, expressing sins that went further than temptation. If he didn’t know better he’d say the serpent had spent too much time surrounded by humans, absorbing all those disgusting imperfections that festered them and made them the worst mistake of them all.   
And now that he knew Lucifer had fathered a nephilim, he knew what he had to do first. After all, nephilim were walking blasphemy. True representations of all that’s wrong in the universe, sins that polluted grace, daring to blend together into a single being that could easily destroy everything around it, perfect or not. So wrong God himself had forbidden them from the very start. Obviously, he couldn’t allow this thing to walk around any longer. 

Michael smirked as a plan started to form in his mind. 

~~~

_”This is my voicemail… make your voice… a mail”_

The hunter hung up his phone for the thirtieth time before throwing it al the nearest wall in desperation. 

“Damn it” he cursed under his breath as the phone’s screen cracked into various little pieces. 

“I take it Cas is still not answering” Sam said, entering the war room with his laptop on one arm and a cup of coffee on the other. “Maybe it’s for the best. Who knows if Asmodeus took his phone or something” 

Dean paced around the room in a restless daze. He hasn’t been able to properly sit down since their conversation in that same room the previous day. 

“Still nothing from the girls?” he asked Sam. 

“No, Jody’s put an APB out and they’re spreading the word to other hunters” Sam said, his eyes still glued to the screen. 

Dean’s pacing intensified as he ghosted a hand over his face. Every single second that goes by puts Castiel’s life in worse danger. The game was much more complicated now with portals to other dimensions and Asmodeus more than ready to take Jack no matter what. Possibilities were endless for Cas’ whereabouts. What if the angels took him? What if they’re torturing him, washing his brain, doing all their angel stuff to get Cas to give them Jack? What if-   
The oler hunter groaned, interrupting his thoughts. He hadn’t slept at all, too busy worrying over everything and his head was killing him. He made his way to the kitchen making himself his third cup of coffee, swallowing another aspirin from their stash in the kitchen. Surely that couldn’t be healthy but this is Dean Winchester we’re speaking of. 

Once he made his way back into the war room with half a cup of black coffee the hunter finally sat down. Sam was still glued to his laptop so the hunter decided to fetch his from his room. As he wrestled with a tangled charger his eyes focused on a particularly shiny object. A single black feather attached to a little chain danced in Dean’s line of vision. The hunter sighed and grabbed it. 

It had been a gift from the angle from a couple years back. They were hunting a witch who’d casted a spell over an innocent little girl. In order to break the spell they needed angel feathers. Naturally they’d prayed to Cas who’d rushed in to their rescue. After the counterspell was done and the girl was saved, Dean was left curious about angel feathers so he asked Cas. The angel happily responded all of Dean’s questions and the next day he showed up with the feather. 

“I’ve noticed that humans tend to carry object for ‘good luck’” the angel had said “ which doesn’t quite make sense since the concept of luck is just-” 

“Cas” Dean interrupted him. 

“Sorry. What i mean is, maybe this could be like a good luck charm for you” the angel said, holding the feather towards Dean “It could also prove useful in many other emergency situations where i could be unable to reach you” 

The hunter took the feather gingerly between his thumb and index finger, examining it. 

“Thanks Cas” the hunter smiled slightly, carefully placing the feather in his pocket. 

Later he’d carefully add a chain to it in order to be able to keep it easier without risking it flying off or something during a hunt. And so the feather joined Sam’s amulet in Dean’s collection of good luck charms. 

The hunter smiled fondly at the memory before the sour taste of their current situation erased it off his face. The hunter tok the feather and stuffed it in his pocket before taking his laptop and going back to the war room where Mary and Jack were now sitting, clearly very invested in their small talk.

“So you’re sure you can’t sense him or something?” Mary asked Jack. 

“I’m sure. I don’t know how to locate him, but i can tell he’s still alive somehow” Jack said. 

“Well that’s good” Dean said, setting his laptop on the map table. 

“There must be a way to track him” Mary insisted. “Is there any spell to track angels?” 

“I remember Ruby using a tracking spell on Dean” Sam recalled “But i don’t know if it’ll work on angels” 

“We should try it” said Mary, standing up from her chair. 

“We need sage, holy oil, human blood and something that belongs to Cas” Sam said. 

“Where are we going to get something that belongs to him?” Mary asked, confused “I mean i’ve seen his room and it’s quite empty. The angel feathers in the storage room are not his, he doesn’t change his clothes and there’s no-” 

“I have something” Dean muttered, interrupting Mary while looking through news reports. 

“What is it?” asked Sam.

Dean sighed and pulled the feather out of his pocket. It absorbed all the light in the room, leaving a dim glow around it. Sometimes Dean would hold it out on sunny days just to see the iridescent effect, blues and purples dancing on the pitch black background. 

The silence in the room slowly became unbearable to Dean. “I think this’ll be enough for a quick tracking spell. I don’t know how we didn’t think of this before” 

~~~

Michael closed his eyes and concentrated as best as he could. Before he tried anything he had to have the security that Lucifer’s murder brought him in his own universe. If he killed the serpent surely the entirety of Heaven’s army would soon follow him. 

It was a long time before he finally felt a surge of energy. He quickly followed it but by the time he got to the exact location, Lucifer was long gone. The archangel clenched his fists in frustration. Patience was never one of his strengths, thought he knew he’d have to be patient if he wanted his plan to be executed perfectly. After all, he was on his won. He couldn’t rist a single mistake.

He’s not his Father, he doesn’t have the time or strength to just sit back and watch mistake after mistake unroll into the universe. Everything has to be perfect.


	11. John Has No Faith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John is back and it's up to Castiel to talk him into helping them out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that took longer to write than i thought. I'm sorry :( I hope you guys like it!!!
> 
> Come say hi on tumblr: @anathema-in-purgatory

“My name is Castiel. I’m an angel of the Lord” 

John sat rather awkwardly, his right leg hung stiffly off the black couch, his right foot pressed firmly against the carpet. He struggled against the invisible restrains holding him down but to no avail. The only movement visible was the rapid rise and fall of his chest. He blinked a couple times to try and assess the situation. 

He was in a dark room lit only by the dim light of the chandelier hanging from the high ceiling on top of them, sitting on a black leather couch. A glass table sat in the middle of the room, and in front of him stood a man, _no, a thing wearing a man,_ dressed in a cheap suit under a tan trench coat. It’s eyes were dark blue, staring intensely into John’s. 

The man’s face twisted in disbelief as he kept strong eye contact with Castiel, searching for any signs of deception. A few seconds went by and still the _thing_ kept it’s posture, face completely expressionless. 

Finally the man scoffed “Yeah, right. And i’m Elvis” John practically spat in the so-called angel’s direction. “Who. Are. You? I won’t ask again”.

The angel sighed, shifting awkwardly on his feet. His blank resolve finally crumbled and John watched as his face slowly melted into a worried frown, the gears in his head turning and squeezing yet his eyes remained insistive on the eye contact. 

Castiel had spent enough time around humans to know how important eye contact was in the assessment of someone’s words. He tried to convey as much honesty as he could in his gaze hoping to make things easier for John as he stared into his eyes. They were wide and colorful, a masterful combination of greens and blues danced in the man’s irises reminding him of Sam’s except these looked opaque, covered with a layer of ash that had gathered there throughout the years and intensified with the brutal fires of hell. 

“I am telling you the truth” Castiel insisted, stretching his arms out to show he meant no harm whatsoever.

John broke the eye contact for a second to look at Castiel up and down trying to find any tells, a twitch or a shuffle he’d missed with all the eye contact that would clue in on the thing’s lies but there was nothing. In fact, other than the otherworldliness that clung strongly to the way the thing carried itself, there was nothing that pointed to the thing being a threat. 

“Where am i? Why am i here?” John finally asks, going back to the eye contact. 

The angel sat back on the black loveseat, sighing. “It’s a long story but it can wait for now” He leaned in, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands under his chin. “I need you to know you’re not in any kind of danger”

John scoffed again. “Then why are you keeping me down?”. 

“Because i can’t let you escape” Castiel replied “The situation is complicated out there” 

“Right” John sighed. “What the hell is going on?!” he said, raising his voice. 

“I’m telling you, it’s complicated, but you can trust me” Castiel insisted. 

“Why the fuck would i trust you?” the man kept his voice raised, trying to threaten the angel as much as he was able to. 

“I know your sons” Castiel finally said. There was a slight shift in John’s demeanor. For a split second he looked taken aback, confused, but he quickly went back to his stone-faced stance. 

“No, you don’t” he said, once again doing a onceover of the angel. 

“I do. Sam, Dean, they’re both the greatest men i’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. They’re my family” The angel reached inside his trenchcoat, fishing something from the inside pocket. John followed his every movement with his eyes, expecting a gun to emerge from the bizarre choice of clothing compared to the aesthetic of the room they were in. 

Slowly, Castiel pulled out a couple photographs, the paper wearing out on the edges. He carefully laid them all out on the glass table in front of John. With a flick of his wrist John gained back movement from the waist up, his arms carefully drawn back behind him as if he was wearing handcuffs. The hunter rolled his shoulders and sat up more comfortably on the couch. He twisted his arms but there was no way to get out of this kind of restrain, at least none that he was aware of. 

He finally deviated his eyes from the angel’s to the table in front of him. He stared, aghast written all over his face as he examined each picture. 

The first looked older, a slight yellowish tone hugged the folded edges and slight grease marks were visible against the dim light of the room. In it both Sam and Dean were smiling, genuine smiles that reached their eyes. They sat on the hood of the impala, beers clutched tightly, a beautiful lake in the background. Sam was turned to Dean, a mild breeze swaying his long brown hair back while Dean looked straight forward to whoever was taking a picture, mouth slightly twisted mid-word. John was shocked to see his boys turned into full grown men. Wrinkles littered their foreheads, around their eyes and mouths, barely visible by the dark stubbles both men sported. Even their eyes looked different, the soft innocent glow he was so used to seeing now turned into dark, mature stone, yet they still looked happy. 

John had known, since he became a hunter, that it was very likely he wouldn’t get to see his boys as full grown adults. He’d expected to die bloody soon after Dean became fully independent at eight years old. Bobby Singer had sworn to take care of his boys after his inevitable demise, whenever it came. Every birthday, every milestone in his boys’ life was a blessing for John to witness yet he couldn’t bring himself to make a big deal of each and every one of them because it just reminded him too much of what they’d lost and what he’d soon miss. 

John silently shook himself, this was definitely not the time or the place to have this sort of sentimental breakdown. He couldn’t risk to let his guard down. He cursed himself, when it came to his boys he was pathetically weak. 

The next one left John breathless. They were sitting in a diner, Dean, Sam, Castiel and… Mary. She looked just as beautiful as John remembered her. Her bright green eyes similar to Dean’s lit up the entire room. Her sweet smile took over the entire photograph, John’s eyes barely able to leave her to see his sons with similar expressions. 

“Mary” John breathed out, his face completely destroyed with awe. “How…?” 

“She was brought back by a very powerful being, thanks to Dean” Castiel explained.

“Is she still…?” somehow John couldn’t bring himself to finish his sentences. 

“I don’t know for sure” the dreaded word left the angel’s lips in a sorrowful whisper “Last time i saw the boys we thought she was dead but now some some sources say she’s back”

John stared blankly at the wall in front of him. He doesn’t know how to feel. There she is, his wife with their sons, happy. She’s there and they’re there and now he’s back too but what if Mary is gone again? Why does fate keep juggling them around, keeping them apart from one another? If he believed in God, he’d pray to be reunited with his family.

And now that he thinks about it, he’s been dead for a few years but he doesn’t remember much. Last thing he can recall is selling his soul to Azazel back at that hospital. He remembers talking to Dean, saying goodbye as best as he could before collapsing in an empty room. Then there’s flashes, fragments of hellish fires and pain and complete darkness. _How about we get you off that rack, huh?_. There’s there’s light and safe and clean. Brief moments of relief and peace clouding his mind for the first time since he was a small child. And now he’s here, sitting on a black leather sofa with an angel talking about his sons and his wife who might not be as dead as he thought her to be.

“You’ve been gone for almost twelve years” Castiel continued, as if he’d heard John’s thoughts “A lot has happened since and i’ll gladly fill you in, just not now. I don’t want to overwhelm you”

An intense silence filled the room. John just stared at the picture, his eyes glued to Mary’s. He smiled, mirroring Mary’s in a twisted, painful way. His family was pictured right there, together. His life, his heart, all laid out in three smiles. He almost didn’t notice the angel, but when he did, reality washed over him like a sharp slap to the face. He briefly looked up and found the angel sitting in the same position as moments before, looking expectantly at the hunter. John looked back down at the picture and finally focused on the angel sitting between Dean and Mary. He was smiling awkwardly, almost as if it were his first time doing it except that it looked genuine. He could even see Dean leaning into the angel while Sam remained sitting comfortably on the diner chair. 

He had to force himself to look at the third and last photo. This one looked very recent. Sam smiled at the front, his arm extended to one corner of the frame indicating he was the one holding the camera towards the little crowd. Next to him was some kid, barely over 21 it would seem, looking curiously at the camera. Then there was Dean who was wearing the biggest smile in the picture as well as what looked like a ridiculously expensive cowboy hat. John laughed internally at this, his oldest son always had a little obsession with the wild west. And next to Dean was the angel, Dean’s left arm wrapped around his shoulders pulling him into his side. He was wearing a matching hat, his head tilted slightly as his smile threatened to give Dean’s a run for his money. This one looked even more genuine and natural than the last one. 

John sat back on the sofa as much as the restraints would allow him, taking it all in. It clearly had been a long time since he’d seen his sons, they were both grown up men after all. So much must’ve happened in their lives, specially with Mary’s brief return. It seemed like they’d kept on with the family business, even keeping that damn car, yet they still looked happy. Something John had learned from his hunting days was that hunters barely had moments of pure content, let alone happiness. But these pictures showed his sons were happy, and safe and good.

“This can’t be real” John finally said. 

“It is” Castiel said softly, his face full of sympathy. 

“No, it’s not” the hunter said firmly, rising his voice once again. 

Castiel sighed. It was like Dean in that barn all over again. “This is your problem, John. You have no faith” 

With that Castiel stood up from the couch. Once again John’s eyes followed his every move as the angel closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. John gasped as the electric blue irises were replaced by pure blinding light. The sound of thunder echoed from the outside as big shadows filled the room. The air surrounding them suddenly felt warm, electricity replacing the blood in his veins as he was washed by a pure wave of holiness, and suddenly he felt like he was back in heaven, embraced by warmth and safety. 

His brain couldn’t process what laid before his eyes for the first few seconds but as the hazy fog slowly scattered away he was left with the shadows of two giant wings stretched out on each side of the angel. Even with a few broken bones and missing feathers they looked quite impressive. John stared in awe as the bright light dimed away as well as the shadows, leaving both men back solely with the chandelier glow on top of them. 

“You…” John said, once again breathless “You’re a real angel” 

“Yes” was all Castiel said as he retrieved his place on the loveseat. 

“But how…?” John’s head was full with questions begging to leave his mouth but as much as he tried he couldn’t let any out. 

“As i said before, it’s complicated. But i will try to explain as best as i can” The angel looked at John. The hunter slumped back on the couch, looking even more confused than before except now the threatening stand he’d automatically took before was now fading, letting confusion take over. 

The angel squinted, considering his options. He decided it was safe to set the man free of restraint and with another subtle flick of his wrist, John was free. Just as Castiel had expected, as soon as the man realized he was free he quickly got off the couch and ran to the nearest doorway leading to what Castiel assumed to be the front door. Before he could cross the doorway, though, an invisible force pushed him back. The hunter tried once, twice again before cursing under his breath, turning around and trying to find another way out. The room had two large windows but other than the doorway behind him there was no other way out. 

Castiel remained seated, eyes staring patiently as John sighed and sat back on the couch. 

“I’m sorry, i really can’t let you leave at the moment” Castiel apologized. 

“So what are you going to do to me huh? Why are you keeping me here?” John asked, exasperated. 

“A portal to another dimension was opened and through came a version of the archangel Michael. He’s planning to destroy this world and we need your help to stop him” Castiel decided to keep it simple. He stared at John expectantly, waiting for him to start throwing questions. 

Instead the hunter groaned “Can you stop looking at me like that?” the hunter said. The angel’s deep stare made him feel too exposed, helpless, and John couldn’t have that. 

The ex-marine is used to being the one in control, _the man with the plan_ , so having this creature looking at him like some sort of science experiment was driving him crazy. But at least he could move freely now, which helped ground him to the moment. He’d lost himself for a moment looking at the photographs and he’s convinced that if he’d been thinking clearly he would’ve gone to attack the angel instead of running towards the only visible exit. He had to keep his head in the game if he wanted to get out of this. 

“My apologies” Castiel said, turning his gaze to a rather obscure painting behind John. This painting depicted a young woman holding a child on her arms, blood dripping from his mouth. Behind the weeping woman stood a dark figure, it’s eyes bright red, dark hands extended forwards, ready to wrap around the woman’s neck. Castiel shuddered internally, deviating his gaze once again towards the carpet. 

“Now, portal? Other dimension? That’s bullshit. Stupid, Lovecraft level shit” the hunter said in utter disbelief.

“You used to think that of demons” the angel said. 

“Excuse me?” John asked indignantly. 

“I’ve read your journal. You used to think the supernatural was nothing but fiction” the angel said, returning his eyes to John’s face for a couple seconds before looking back down at the glass table. 

“And how the fuck did you get your hands on my journal?” John raised his voice once again, sitting up straight on the couch.

“Dean showed it to me” Castiel explained “I’m sorry, it was an invasion to your privacy” 

John sighed “So angels and other worlds, all real” John said to himself “And you want my help with some archangel gone Terminator?” 

“I have no idea what Terminator is but it sounds quite accurate, yes” Lucifer’s voice echoed through the high ceilings as he walked through the doorway holding the same glass of scotch. He stopped in the middle of the room, next to the glass table looking at the man. “John Winchester. I’d say it’s a pleasure to finally meet you but that would be a lie. Though i must say i’m intrigued, i’ve heard a lot about you”. Lucifer took a sip from his glass to hide his smirk. 

“And who the fuck are you?” John asked, a threatening frown painting his face as he eyed the new stranger. 

“You kissed that sexy wife of yours with that mouth?” Lucifer said, the smirk on his face growing wider. 

“Lucifer!” Castiel chastised. 

“Lucifer?!” John exclaimed, sitting up from the couch. 

“Sorry, couldn’t help myself. Please take a seat, Johnny boy” Lucifer said, restraining John on the couch again. 

“Let me go!” The man demanded, face turning red in fury. 

“He really is a Winchester, huh?” the archangel finished his drink and set the glass on the table. “Now enough games, we have serious matters to discuss” 

“Let him go, Lucifer” Castiel said firmly “Then we can discuss”. 

Lucifer turned to Castiel, staring at him with that cocky smile still on his face before rolling his eyes and letting go of John. The man gasped but decided to stay on the couch, not willing to risk being attacked by these two creatures. 

“Happy?” Lucifer asked, making another glass of scotch appear. 

Now it was Castiel’s turn to roll his eyes. “Did you find your informants?” he asked, staying in business. 

“Yes” Lucifer said, taking another sip from his drink.

“And?” Castiel urged him to continue.

“Well, it’s just as i expected” Lucifer walked towards the third couch and sat comfortably “He’s looking for me. Michael was last seen near the abandoned building Asmodick had us locked down in”

“So what’s the plan?” John asked from his place in the couch. He’d stayed silent, watching the angel’s interactions with the thing that claimed to be the devil himself. Honestly, John shouldn’t be surprised with everything that’s gone down in the past few hours. Why this angel who claimed to be his boys’ family was teaming up with Lucifer was a mystery but he was sure he’d find out soon enough, one way or another. 

Lucifer looked at John up and down before taking another sip of his drink. “We use me as bait, bring him out”


	12. Blood, Guts and Worry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys track down Castiel, Asmodeus gets some valuable infromation and Michael reminisces of the good old days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taking longer to update :/ Short chapter cuz next one is... well you'll see.

Dean stared at the delicate feather one last time, twirling it between his thumb and pointer finger before carefully freeing it from the little chain and placing it in the bowl along with the other ingredients for the tracking spell. A feeling akin to regret nestled in his chest as he watched the iridescent glow of the feather slowly taint itself with Dean’s bright red blood. 

Ever since the angel had gifted him that stupid thing he’d been able to find comfort in knowing that as long as he had it then he’d have a way to stay close to the angel. As chick-flick moment as it sounds, the reminder was very welcome on his side. Throughout his life he’s struggled with people he cares about leaving him, either willfully and/or permanently, and as close as he’s grown to Castiel plus almost losing him more than a couple times, that stupid feather had helped him keep fighting even when it seemed pointless. All for the stupid angel in the stupid coat. 

His eyes remained glued to the bowl as Sam mixed all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon, the feather slowly dissolving into nothing. The symbolism of it only made the feeling intensify and the elder hunter had to force himself to step away from the table so Sam could slowly spill the mix over the map he and Mary found in one of the supply rooms of the bunker. Jack watched in fascination as the now transparent liquid covered the old, yellowish map.

Dean reached down to his jean pocket and slowly fished out his lighter, handing it to Sam. Four pairs of eyes observed carefully as Sam lit up a corner of the map, the flame quickly picking up and threatening to burn down their eyebrows. They all jumped back and slowly the flame consumed the paper, zeroing in on the hopeful location of their friend. 

To all their horror, the flame died down and the only impossible location was left sitting on the table, offending all three Winchesters with its mere presence. 

“Lawrence, Kansas” Jack read softly, completely oblivious to the tension that currently drowned the room. “That’s nearby, right?”

Jack’s question remained unanswered as the brothers exchanged stares, Mary taking a slow step back in shock. The room was silent, the only sounds reaching the human’s ears were the low hums of the machinery that echoed all around the bunker as well as their own heartbeats. Sam swallowed the lump in his throat whilst Dean struggled with a dry mouth.

“Maybe he’s on the way here?” Sam, ever the voice of reason, suggested calmly. He was quite proud of how steady he’d managed his voice to be. 

“Yeah, that must be it” Dean said, clearing his throat as his voice came out hoarse and his mouth remained dry. He wasn’t kidding anyone, though. He knew deep down that this was too much of a coincidence. After all these years he’s learned that such things as coincidences and random accidents never happen. The universe is full of calculated moves all leading up to the same ending and this one right here has the pit on Dean’s stomach increase twice it’s size. 

“So we just wait for him to arrive?” Mary asked, still standing a couple feet away. She found her arms wrapped around herself in some sort of effort to comfort herself. This was all alarmingly unexpected. 

“Yeah, i guess. I mean, we still don’t know his exact location so heading out isn’t really an option unless y’all wanna play cosmic needle in the hay” Sam said, his eyes scanning Dean’s hunched over form. 

Dean’s eyes were glued to the burnt piece of paper that remained on the table and Sam wouldn’t be surprised if it caught on fire again from the intensity of the look alone. No, it definitely can’t just be a coincidence, but Sam’s right. Heading out, even with the four of them, it won’t be easy to find the angel, especially if he doesn’t want to be found. The unanswered phone calls, texts and prayers seem to indicate that the angel is up to something and he doesn't want the brothers involved, again. And God, if this isn’t worrying Dean. 

_Don’t do anything stupid_. Those had been Dean’s last words to the angel. But it was Cas they were talking about. The guy had good intentions, truly, but he seemed to get into the most self-destructing situations possible in the name of the greater good. They still had to have the ‘Think about yourself before you do anything remotely dangerous’ talk, and this time Dean would make sure the angel understood. 

~~~

Asmodeus sighed as he crushed the skull of yet another incompetent demon, grimacing as a drop of blood managed to stain his impeccable white suit jacket. The prince poked at the stain a couple times before snapping his fingers, making it disappear. He’d lost count of how many useless necks he’d snapped yet it had done nothing to drown his frustrations.

This useless rats had allowed Lucifer and his lap angel to escape. Just sat back and watched as the serpent slithered out of the building, dragging that stupid angel with him. Unbelievable. Even after warding the entire cell block as well as leaving who he thought were the best demons in charge. He knew Lucifer would manage to escape, sooner or later, he just didn’t think it would be so damn soon. 

The prince wasn’t truly worried about those two striking back on him though. His ex-boss and that pathetic little angel aren’t powerful enough to take on him by themselves, let alone the full wrath of hell itself. He was saddened, through, that he can’t have some fun with them as he’d planned upon his return to his earthly throne room. 

He’s already sent a couple dozen demons to hunt them down since he really _really_ wants to wrap his hands around Lucifer’s neck, see the fear in his eyes as he toys with the archangel's life like the archangel had done with him in the past. And the lap angel? A direct link to the Winchesters which pretty much secured a link to the nephilim now that it was allegedly back with them. It was a complete win-win situation for the prince, though he should’ve known it was all too good to be true. 

He sat in his throne, fists clenched tightly as he closed his eyes and concentrated. There had been a new surge of energy around for quite a while now but he hadn’t had time to find out what it is until now. He’d sent some demons to investigate but they never came back which lead Asmodeus to believe they were dead since he’d made sure no demon would ever dare betray his trust. He was quite fond of public demonstrations and interior decorating, if the guts and blood covering the entire room didn’t speak for themselves. 

This new energy seemed familiar, almost like Lucifer in those glorious days when he started to rule over hell yet there was something off about it. The thing screamed _wrong_ to the universe as if it didn’t belong here. Interesting...

“My lord” The trembling voice of a demon snapped the prince from his thoughts “You’ve got a visitor” 

As the demon stepped back a human walked into the room. _Ah yes, that stupid machine_. Ever since he witnessed the magnitude of the Jack’s power the prince had made sure to use as many sources as possible. He’d been out of the game for awhile now, he’d need as much information as possible and as much as he hated to admit it, this idiotic human could be useful. 

“Arthur Ketch” Asmodeus greeted “You better have some news regarding the nephilim” 

“I do, sir” the ex Man of Letters smirked “The Winchesters set a tracking spell for their angel” 

“So?” the prince arched an eyebrow, figers ready to snap and twist the insolent human’s neck. He really wasn’t in the mood for this. 

“So, that means they don’t know from him which means Lucifer hasn’t tried to reach out to the nephilim so far” the man squared his shoulders in a prideful stance “The moment they step out of their bunker, they’re made vulnerable to anything” 

The prince visibly perked up at this. He hummed in thought before nodding and standing up from his throne. “Follow me” he said before walking down a hall past Lucifer and Castiel’s old cells. 

They reached the end of the halway where a heavy metal door stood. The prince motioned for a demon to open it before stepping in. There, chained up, powerless, laid Rowena.

“She’s all yours” 

~~~

Michael sat on a bench, watching as the warm rays of the afternoon sun draped over the calm waters of a lake. The only sounds coming from birds singing from the treetops surrounding the lake. It was peaceful and quiet and Michael hated it. 

It reminded him too much of Eden. Back in the early days of the universe when he could just sit back and enjoy the view, no worries about creation, keeping the balance of the universe, following heaven’s rules. Nothing. Just peace and quiet and his Father’s presence comforting him at all times. Then Lucifer joined them and he asked questions, lots of questions, but still Michael felt the calm washing over him as he watched his younger brother smelling each and every single flower in the garden, pointing enthusiastically at those whose smell he prefered. 

Then came Gabriel and Raphael. Their Father would talk about creation and how important it all was to Him, and therefore, to them. He’d talk about balance, right and wrong, black or white, good or bad. He’d show them life, how they were different beings from Him and how He could create other beings, all different yet important in the grand scheme. They all watched curiously as the first choir of seraphs were created. When they first watched the burning flames, they recoiled in horror. But then the flames mixed up with grace and so the burning ones were created. 

In the end there were seven choirs of seraphs, all made from fire. Father explained that fire represented passion, strength, and that their little siblings were created to be warriors. Their task was to make sure all of heaven’s rules were being followed, as well as defending it from any threat that dared to disrupt His creations. 

And even if heaven was starting to get a bit crowded, there was still peace. Being the oldest, Michael took it upon himself to show all his new little siblings the wonders of their Father’s creation so far. Lucifer still stopped by Eden to smell the flowers while Gabriel and Raphael soaked in the warm waters of the lake. The seraphs were a bit more stiff, though, and they’d just lay on the grass, feeling the warmth of their Father’s light embracing them at all times. It was all perfect, they were perfect. 

After that it was all a blur of light and grace. God kept making lesser angels, giving them different fates to keep the balance of the universe as he kept creating. After being satisfied with the new order in Heaven, God moved down to Earth. The angels watched curiously as one by one different animals took over the place. Mountains, rivers, deserts, Earth vibrated with life. And the animals roamed around giving and getting back as it should be, keeping the balance. Seraphs were called once in a while to check in on them, and they always came back with exciting stories of what God’s precious Earth looked like. 

But then came the humans. Michael cringe in disgust as the word crosses his mind. Those disgusting, tainted beings walking around, destroying everything His Father had worked so hard in. God had said that these were his best creation so far, he praised them and drilled it into the angel’s heads that they must protect them at all costs. 

Disgusting. 

The archangel sighed as he stood up from the bench. He has to find Lucifer. Now.


	13. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer, Castiel and John discuss their plan to stop Michael.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long, Lucifer is quite difficult to work with :p

“We use me as bait, bring him out” Lucifer said calmly, taking a sip of his drink unceremoniously. Both John and Castiel looked considerably taken aback by the statement. None of them had really expected the archangel to even think of risking himself to draw out an enemy who’s clearly much more powerful than the archangel currently is. There had to be something more to it. 

“And why exactly would you like to play bait?” Castiel asked, tilting his head and squinting at Lucifer. John had to admit, it looked out of place with the angel’s general stoic demeanor, giving him an aura of innocence. 

“Why not? I like dangling myself between life and death like that” Lucifer replied with a smirk before turning it into a threatening frown “Plus, i don’t know, maybe that’s the only fucking way to actually get the rat out of the sewer!” 

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence, the echo of Lucifer’s words resonating through the mostly empty house. John shifted his gaze between Lucifer and Castiel clearly amused by the situation. Here he is, back from the dead in a truly disturbing room watching the actual devil biker with an angel who claims to know his sons personally, building sketchy plans to stop an actual mad archangel who somehow jumped between dimensions and is now trying to kill everyone and everything just because. Is this some new form of torture? If so, it’s clearly messing with his head already. 

“No, no, Johnny boy. This is all real” Lucifer said, winking at him before taking yet another sip of his drink. “Oh what’s with me being so impolite! Here, have some of the good stuff” he snapped his fingers and a glass of scotch appeared for both John and Castiel. John immediately reached out and downed the whole thing in two long gulps, welcoming the intense burn down his throat. He even managed not to cough which left Lucifer with a lifted eyebrow and Castiel with a slight concerned frown. 

“You might want to slow down there, Johnny. We actually need your sober monkey brain for this” clearly Lucifer loved the sound of his own voice. This time both Castiel and John rolled their eyes at him. 

“Anyways, i’ll just go out there, do my thing, show all my great assets to the universe while you two build a trap for dear old dark big bro” Lucifer continued, refilling John’s glass. 

“And how exactly are we going to manage to trap something as powerful as Michael?” Castiel asked, leaving his own glass untouched. 

“See, baby bro, being so close to the big kahuna for so long does have its perks” Lucifer regained his mischievous smirk. “Remember that fancy trap you and the suicide squad built to trap me in that church before aunty Amara almost BBQ’d us all?”

Castiel nodded coldly. Of course he remembers. Being possessed by the devil is not something you can forget easily. Even if he buried himself in a corner of his mind while Lucifer moved all the big pieces topside, deep down he’d always been conscious of Lucifer’s doings. That’s how he was able to stop the archangel from killing Sam that one time in the bunker. Though after that he didn’t consider himself capable of dealing with Heaven and God and Amara so he just buried himself in his memories of bad daylight television trying to ignore reality as best as he could. 

“But it only managed to hold you for a couple hours” Castiel said, frowning. 

“Yes, well, that’s because dear Rowena missed a key ingredient in her spell. The book of the damned may be one of the most powerful spell books in existence, but not even that thing holds up to the level of magic i’ve learned through my years of being the great adversary” Lucifer looked at the wall behind Castiel, eyes distant. The angel squinted at the archangel once again, sensing something akin to regret in his words. John cleared his throat and the archangel snapped out of it, blinking hard. 

“And what’s the missing ingredient then?” John asked, voice a bit huskier still from the scotch. 

“Archangel feather” said Lucifer, the smirk returning to his face. “I used one of my old, fossilized ones to power up after that red haired bitch sent me to the bottom of the ocean. If we add that to the mix then we’ll have a trap strong enough to hold Michael in for a few hours”

“So we trap him, then what?” Asked Castiel leaning back on the black leather sofa.

“Then we use another spell, this one’s more simple, easy peasy, and we power him down just enough for me to stab him repeatedly with my sword until he dies” Lucifer said, taking the last sip of his drink before vanishing the glass. 

“You know how to perform all these spells?” asked Castiel, raising an eyebrow. 

“Not exactly” Lucifer shrugged “But i know some witch who could help” 

“And who would this be?” 

“Rowena MacLeod” Lucifer sighed. 

“But she’s dead” Castiel frowned. 

“Say’s the dude who i literally killed a month ago and is somehow still up and kicking” The archangel smirked “One of my informants was kind enough to mention that Asmodeus had her locked down in that building too, though he was just keeping her as payment to some british dude who’s currently hunting down my son” Lucifer explained, standing up from his place on the couch. 

“So we track this witch, get her to perform the spells for us, trap Michael, power him down and kill him?” asked John, concern and uncertainty painting his face.

“Basically, yeah” Lucifer nodded, pacing around the room. 

“I’m sorry, this is all too ridiculous for me” the hunter said, downing his third glass of scotch, this time letting out a few coughs. 

“You’ll get used to it, old man” Lucifer said, reaching out to pat the man’s shoulder before heading out to the exit “Well it’s been a long day. I’ll go track down Rowena while you two get some rest. Feel free to snoop around, find a room to stay in. I’m gonna need all the backup i can get” and with that the archangel left the room. 

Slowly, tentatively, John rose from the sofa, catching himself as he swayed back and forth, courtesy of three glasses of scotch, one after the other. As soon as he felt stable on his feet he pounced up towards the exit. He left the room, heading out to a long hallway, turning right to see tall, dark wooden double doors. With all the strength he could muster he pushed and pulled, even kicked the doors but to no avail, the doors remained stoic and in place. 

“He wouldn’t let you go that easy” a deep, raspy voice said from behind him. John turned around and found himself face to face with Castiel, the icy blue eyes looking into his very soul. “Neither would i, for that matter. It’s quite dangerous out there, and as disoriented as your current state is, it wouldn’t be wise to leave you to your own devices” 

The hunter didn’t realize he was holding his breath until his lungs started burning with the need to breathe. He took a deep breath and rolled his eyes. He was fed up with all this cryptic bullshit being thrown at him. Really, this joke was growing old. Angels, Heaven, God, it’s not real. If it were, then his life wouldn’t have been so dark, so terribly sad. 

“What do you want from me?” John asked, defeat taking over every single fiber of his being. He was so tired and so done, he’d rather go back to whatever hell was, not this soap opera, sci-fi crap. 

“We need your help” Castiel thought of telling John how he didn’t want to bother the boys with this as they’ve had their plates full for a while now, plus Lucifer would definitely not accept working with the Winchesters which, once again, would be putting them in unnecessary danger. But he decided against it. Bothering John with unnecessary worry doesn’t seem right, even if he already knows they’re somehow involved with Lucifer himself.

The angel knows perfectly well how this is going to end for him, though. Last time he worked secretly behind the brothers’ backs with the intention of keeping them out of danger, well, as Dean would say, _shit hit the fan_. Time after time, he betrays the brothers’ trust, risking his life to keep them safe. And over and over again it goes sideways for him, but that won’t stop him from trying again, even now that it involves their father.

“After we’re done with this, i want to see my family again” John said after a long pause. 

Castiel nodded at him. “You should go sleep. You’ll need your strength for tomorrow” The angel suggested, giving him a kind smile. John sighed once again before heading to the big flight of white, marble stairs that laid dramatically in the middle of the room. 

He reached the second floor and opened the first door he encountered. Surprisingly enough he found a quite decent room, cream colored walls contrasted with the light grey carpet. A big, king sized bed laid in the middle as the only thing in the room apart from the big window that took over most of the far back wall. John was way too tired to ask questions though so he just took off his boots and collapsed on the bed. This was wrong, so so wrong, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. 

It had been a long, overwhelming day and he was almost fully convinced that none of this was real. This was all some sort of illusion, a way of giving him everything he’s ever wanted on a silver plate just so that demons can get off on taking it away from him over and over again. It was just a cruel game on his sanity and he was ready to keep as much of it as he could. He would not fall for these stupid games. No way. 

Though, deep down, the hunter hoped with all his heart that at least some of it were real. Even if he claimed not to believe in God or angels, the man prayed that his sons were as happy as he’d seen them in those photographs. And Mary? _Wherever she is_ John prayed _I hope she’s happy too_.

~~~

“Lucifer” Castiel called out as soon as he sensed that John was asleep. He sat on the same black leather loveseat he’d previously been sitting on worrying his lip with his top teeth. 

With a flutter of wings the archangel appeared on the couch in front of him, laying down with one of his legs hanging off it mirroring John’s unconscious form. “What do you want?” 

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Castiel asked, looking down at his joined hands resting on his lap. 

“Well, duh. Of course it’s going to work!” Lucifer said, rolling his eyes “Have some faith in me, bro” 

“You’re not at full power” Castiel said, looking up at the archangel. “Even with Jack’s help there's still a substantial part of your grace missing”

“Yeah thanks for reminding me” Lucifer sighed “It doesn't matter. I can still find the red haired bitch and all that”

There was a small pause before Castiel finally spoke again. “Why are you doing this?” 

“What do you mean ‘this’?” Lucifer asked, waving his hand around dismissively. 

“You know exactly what i mean” 

Once again, a loaded silence filled the room. Lucifer rose from the couch slowly, his eyes glued to Castiel’s defiantly. The archangel sat on the couch, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. 

“It’s not of your damn business” The archangel deadpanned in a low, threatening voice. Castiel tilted his head curiously, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. 

“No, there has to be something” Castiel said softly “We get rid of Michael and Asmodeus and then you go on to start the apocalypse again” 

Lucifer rolled his eyes. “Really? I thought we were over this. I don’t have a plan” 

“So what? You expect me to just let you go once this is over?” Castiel growled.

“I expect you to do whatever it is you do with those pets of yours to stop that asshat from killing us all”

“And then what? You kill me?” 

“Maybe, if you don’t shut up and leave me the fuck alone!” Lucifer stood up, rolling his shoulders to display his bright silver wings sprawled out across the room. Even with it’s high ceilings, the space wasn’t big enough for all three pairs of wings, leaving them to curl awkwardly on the ends. 

Castiel kept staring into Lucifer’s eyes, though. He could feel there was something else going on with the archangel, good or bad. Castiel had never really interacted with him during those glorious times of peace in Heaven, but he still knew him well enough to be able to tell something was wrong. 

“You’ve changed” Castiel finally stated. 

“Yeah, well. Haven’t we all?” Lucifer rolled his eyes, relaxing his stance. “Now if you excuse me, i have a witch to find” 

~~~

She woke up in what looked like a four star hotel room. Her wrists and ankles were tied together to the arms and legs of a surprisingly comfortable wooden chair. She blinked a couple times as she got used to the bright lights that seemed to attack her from all angles. 

“Ah, you’re finally awake” she followed the direction of the unmistakably british accent and rolled her eyes as she spotted the man, clad on impeccably clean cut dress pants and white button up, sitting on the end of the double bed typing furiously on his laptop. “Just a moment” He said as he finished scrolling through something. 

With a content sigh he stood up from his place, walking towards her. He dragged another dark wooden chair and placed it in front of her before taking his seat. 

“Long time no see, darling” Ketch said, a cocky smirk on his face. 

Rowena huffed. “What do you want?” 

The man reached down and grabbed a pocket knife, waving the small, sharp blade around. He stared at it in fascination, his eyes shining with anticipation. 

“You know exactly what i want” Ketch said, reaching forward to caress her bright red hair lightly with the blade. 

“Well you’re going to have to untie me first, aren’t you?” Rowena smirked. 

“I don’t know, red. From experience i can assure you it’s safer to keep you locked up tight” 

Ketch frowned as he saw Rowena’s face twist in horror before turning to greet the new presence in the room. His grip on the pocket knife tightened as he made a mental list of the location of all his weapons as well as any protecting sigil he could’ve missed. 

“Ah, Lucifer” Ketch said, standing up from the chair. He recognized the archangel’s vessel from previous Men of Letters investigations. 

“I’m sorry, have we met?” Lucifer smirked. “Oh well. Sorry, pal, but i’m gonna have to steal Rowena here from you” He walked forward a couple steps until he was standing less than a foot away from Ketch. “Thank you for having her nice and ready for me” 

“Of course, my Lord” Ketch said, taking a couple steps back. 

Lucifer turned to Rowena. “Come on, we’ve got work to do” He lifted his hand, grasping the witch’s shoulder but before he could fly away he felt powerful force keeping him in place. 

“What the fuck?” the archangel asked, trying once again. Still, he stood stuck in the nice hotel room. He looked around to find Ketch holding a weird egg-like thing. “What are you doing?” He growled. 

“I can’t let you take her” Ketch’s said huskily. 

“Excuse me?!” Lucifer stood up straight, rolling his shoulders and displaying his bright red eyes. “You know who i am, right?” 

“Yes, of course” Ketch smirked “I also know the Winchesters were able to stop you with this little thing right here” 

Lucifer rolled his eyes. “You british folks are such annoying, cocky bastards” Lucifer looked at Ketch dead in the eyes. “That ‘little thing’ you got there only works to exorcise beings from taken vessels. This vessel is empty” As he spoke the archangel’s eyes glowed brighter. The room started to shake. 

Rowena whimpered and tried to fight against the restraints but she was completely bound and powerless. She turned back to Ketch and Lucifer, and as stupid as it was, she prayed for the Winchesters to burst through the hotel room door and stop whatever it is that’s about to unfold. 

“Yeah, well” Ketch’s eyes shifted a bit to the right before returning to Lucifer’s. Big mistake. “This isn’t my only toy” he said before pouncing to the right. 

Lucifer was already a step ahead, though, and before he knew it, Ketch’s lifeless body collapsed by his feet. 

“Well that was fun” Lucifer said before turning back to Rowena who still sat bound on the chair, eyes wide. “I truly don’t envy whoever has to clean this whole mess up” and in a flutter of wings they were gone. 

~~~

Castiel sat quietly in the living room. It had been a long time since he last had nothing to do but wait. His mind immediately went to the Winchesters and how they must be looking for him. Last time they talked he was out looking for Jack, just before Asmodeus locked him and Lucifer up. That had been almost a month ago. 

He sighed, a painful throb taking over his all-too human chest. He missed the brothers and Jack and Mary. Something akin to regret threatened to take over his current emotions, thinking about how the boys could be helping with this whole plan, how betrayed they will feel once they find out about all this especially since John is involved. And John… how is that going to work? 

Castiel stops himself before his thoughts take him _there_. He can’t let himself doubt his decisions, that would most definitely distract him and eventually lead to him failing this mission and he truly can’t afford that. No, he will keep the Winchesters out of danger and put an end this new threat. Whatever happens next is not of import at the moment. 

The angel was violently taken away from his thoughts as a loud bang echoed through the house. He sprinted up the stairs to the direction of the noise and finally came face to face with Lucifer and Rowena, both lying unconsciously on the ground. 

“What the fuck was that?!” John barged into the room, hair a mess. Clearly he’d been startled awake by the commotion. 

“Lucifer found the witch” Castiel said, still standing a few feet away from the bodies. 

“So now what?” John asked, ghosting a hand over his face in a way that reminded the angel too much of Dean. 

“Now we wait for them to wake up”


	14. Rise and Shine, Guess Who Died

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys get some shocking news while Lucifer kick starts their plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo this is the shortest chapter yet and i'm sorry i've been dragging this out but i promise the good stuff is comming!!!! I was going to include it all here but it turned out to be waaay too long so i'm splitting it up in three chapters, this one being the shortest. Hope you guys like it!!!

Dean sat in the middle of the bunker’s garage looking utterly lost. It’d only been a couple days since they’d performed the tracking spell but to him it felt like an eternity. The first few hours he’d sat in the library watching some new japanese animated movie, though he’d missed most of the plot thanks to his discreet glances at the front door as well as keeping the volume on the down low just in case he missed the sound of the heavy metal door opening. 

After that Sam suggested they get take out from Dean’s favourite burger place in Lebanon. It wasn’t safe for either of them to go out, though Mary insisted she’d be fine. Her and Sam left in the Impala, promising to be back in a couple hours and to call in case something came up. So that left Dean alone with Jack. 

The kid looked just as anxious as him, tapping his foot under the table as he watched another fantasy movie on Sam’s laptop. The mere sound of it echoing throughout the bunker made Dean’s nerves jump to the point where it almost made him forget about Cas. 

Almost. 

They had dinner in a loaded silence. It wasn’t awkward, per say, but it was overwhelming. They all had the same thoughts going through their heads, it wouldn’t help much to say them out loud but it also didn’t seem fair to bring up any other unimportant subject. A few comments about how greasy and unhealthy their food was was all that dared to leave their mouths. 

After that everyone just kind of went their own way. Dean decided to take a long shower to try and clear him mind, relax a little and maybe even sleep for the night but of course it didn’t work. The next day went by in a tired blur for the older hunter. A few grunts and nods were the only responses he gave to Mary and Sam’s concerned words. Eventually they all silently agreed to leave Dean to sulk on his own.

And somehow he ended up here, sitting in the middle of the garage. He’d thought it would be a good idea to wash all the cars in the bunker at least twice just to really make sure that that thin layer of dust is really gone. He keeps his mind busy making mental notes like and but he inevitably runs out of cars to fuss over. 

He sighed, looking around. His jeans were uncomfortably damp from all the washing and his hands smelled like cheap soap. The constant buzzing of the old lights above him were the only real sounds in the room apart from his breathing and heartbeat. It was all getting to him and he both felt drained and overly energized. He’s about to go check on Dorothy’s bike when Sam bursts in holding his laptop. 

“Dude, so get this” he said, sitting right next to Dean. The smell of soap and desperation are like a sharp slap to the face but the younger hunter decides to ignore it, this is more important than his brother’s weird coping methods. “I was looking through the police scan when i found this” 

Dean peaks over Sam’s shoulder, squinting at the censored images on the screen. Above them the headline read ‘Gruesome murder in San Antonio Holiday Inn’. 

“The site was plagued with weird symbols drawn on the walls as well as some weird artifacts found in the victim’s belongings” Sam read aloud “There are signs of struggle all over the place”

“So? Just another hotel murder” Dean shrugged. He really wasn’t in the mood for a case, which really said a lot since a few seconds ago he’d been obsessing over the next thing he’d conjure up to keep him occupied. 

“Yeah well, the victim?” Sam continued “Registered under the name ‘Alexander K.’”

Dean’s interest peaked at this. “As in Ketch’s fake name?”

“Yup!” Sam said, excitedly. “I got some security footage from the hotel right here” he said as he clicked on a black and white video that showed Ketch on the hotel lobby holding a bag. “It’s definitely him” 

“So what? The Men of Letters finally caught up on him?” Dean asked.

“I don’t think so. There’s some witness accounts that mention him walking in with a red haired woman. I’m trying to hack into more security footage but there’s some weird interference all over it”

“Wait, red haired woman? Rowena?” Dean asked “He was looking for her, right? So he found her and she ganked him. What’s the autopsy report?” 

“Basically his insides were turned to mush, classic Rowena spell aftermath but there was some- oh” Sam interrupted himself, looking at his computer screen with wide eyes. 

“What?” Dean leaned over trying to peak at the screen. 

“I-i found some clear footage” he said, his voice a tad softer and shaky. Dean frowned, taking the laptop from Sam’s grasp and setting it on his lap. 

He pressed play on the black and white footage. It immediately cut to some weird static before clearing up. It showed Ketch sort of dragging a woman, Rowena, through a hallway. Dean almost paused it, asking himself how the fuck did no one notice this, but something caught his eye. Two hours and thirty two minutes later a new person walks down the hallway into Ketch’s room. 

“Is that-”

“Lucifer” 

~~~

Lucifer groaned miserably, attempting to stand up. He’d been to hell more than a couple times in his very long life and he almost convinced himself he was back in there from the level of discomfort he found himself in. He squinted at the too bright light, snapping his fingers to turn it off before becoming aware of just how empty and drained he felt. The light didn’t so much as flicker in response, mocking him. 

“Fuck” he groaned, forcing himself to sit up. He immediately recognized the particularly uncomfortable bed in one of his safe houses on Earth. “Why?” he asked to particularly no one, letting his body weight fall back on the bed, the springs groaning in protest. 

“You drained yourself” a deep voice said from the doorway of the room. Lucifer groaned again, rolling over and burying his face on a pillow. “Now it’s going to take longer to defeat Michael”

“A simple ‘thank you’ would be nice” Lucifer mumbled against the pillow. He’d never experienced anything close to a hangover but from human accounts he can easily relate this feeling to that. 

“Why would i thank you? You’re not doing me any favors” Castiel walked further into the room. 

“Shut up” Lucifer sighed “Just shut up” 

“Rowena is still unconscious, i’m afraid. But John Winchester is keeping an eye on her” Castiel continued, ignoring Lucifer’s comments. “Any news i should know?” 

The archangel sighed, sitting up on the bed. This whole teamwork thing was really getting on his nerves and he was starting to regret his decisions yet he knew that it was all necessary. While it is true that he doesn’t really have any plans for the future after they crush Michael, he knows he could really use Castiel’s help. The angel wasn’t stupid, he’d somehow managed to take on some big fish in his time and Lucifer was curious as to what made this simple, reckless seraph so special. 

He told Castiel in broad details how he got to Rowena, noticing how the angel perked up at the mention of a british man but otherwise stood silent. 

“Now we just have to power me back up” Lucifer said. 

“How?” Castiel asked, curious yet cautious. As much as he wanted all of this to be over, he didn’t want to have to deal with a fully powered Lucifer. 

“Fossilized feather” Lucifer reminded him “I’m not strong enough to materialize them at the moment but an old one should work just fine like it did before” the archangel sighed "My son's boost wasn't enough. And we can't just go back and ask for more at the moment"

With that the archangel made his way out of the room, Castiel following close behind. They reached a vault-like thing hidden in the deepest corner of the house. 

“You get anywhere near here, i’ll kill you” Lucifer warned the angel before opening the vault, revealing a large variety of miscellaneous cosmic stuff. Castiel watched in awe as Lucifer walked through a large selection of swords stopping in front of a glass case. He whispered a spell and with that a single innocent-looking rock appeared inside. 

The archangel reached gingerly inside, feeling the energy vibrations coursing through the thing. He smirked, pleased with himself. 

A couple hours later they all sat in the living room, drinks in hand courtesy of a now fully-powered archangel. As soon as he felt like himself again, Lucifer forced Rowena out of her unconscious state and snapped them all to the leather couches. The witch looked around, clearly perturbed by the general ambiance of the place. She reluctantly accepted the drink and downed it much like John had done the previous day. Meanwhile the hunter sat as far away as he physically could from all creatures, the reality of his situacion still not downing on him. 

“So, i know you can do the spell” Lucifer said, staring intently at Rowena. “Just tell me what you need for it and i’ll provide”

The witch swallowed, staring down at the cup she held between her hands trying to disguise their shaking. She was completely terrified of Lucifer but she refused to let it show as much as it already did so she just nodded, not letting any sound leave her mouth. 

“Honey we’re kind of in a hurry here so i’m gonna need those ingredients now” Lucifer pressured, standing up from the couch. 

Rowena obliged reluctantly, giving Lucifer a decently long list of ingredients she’d need. Sadly, she knew Lucifer knows her magic so she can’t ask for any extra ingredients that would suggest she’d use another spell like the previous one and send the archangel away while she escaped. Plus there was the Winchester’s angel to worry about too.

As soon as Lucifer left in a flutter of wings, she allowed herself to relax a bit. She left out a long breath and closed her eyes briefly, trying to regain her posture. 

“I take it the Winchesters don’t know you’re working with Lucifer” she said to Castiel who sat on the loveseat next to hers. 

“No, they don’t” Castiel sighed. “And i need it to stay that way. I don’t want to put them in any unnecessary danger” 

“And yet big bad daddy is here” she smirked, turning to John. “Rowena MacLeod, nice to meet you” she reached out her hand for a handshake which John immediately scowled at. 

“Touch me and i’ll kill you” he growled. 

“Ah, i see where the boys got their charming side” Rowena said, sitting back on the leather couch. 

“You don’t get to talk about my sons” John growled at her. 

“Oh golly, you’re even worse than the mother” 

“Rowena” Castiel said in a warning tone.

“And you, fishy?” she smirked. 

Castiel opened his mouth to reply with a sassy remark but thankfully Lucifer chose that moment to appear on the couch right next to the witch. He immediately reached out and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, taking in her shocked, terrified trembles. 

“I got the goodies” he said, shaking a plastic bag on her face. “Shall we get on with the show?”


	15. Showtime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The big battle goes down with a few casualties here and there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took waaaay too long... Anyways thank you all for your kudos and comments!!! They really help me stay motivated and keep my hunger for sweet sweet validation on the down low :) Enjoy.

They were all set. Castiel, John and Rowena stood on an abandoned church in the middle of nowhere, Texas. They cleared out the church floor, leaving a big pile of what used to be church pews blocking a giant hole on the far back wall. Asbestos plagued the rest of what used to be clean white walls. The smell of dirt and humidity in the air complimented the general vibe of the place.

It made sense they’d choose an abandoned church and as poetic as it was, Castiel felt more confident in such a familiar environment. Most of his greatest works had been done in abandoned holy grounds and unironically he had a good feeling about this one. Rowena made a face as soon as she entered, the giant wooden cross that stood above the hole on the wall making her cringe as if it had personally offended her. And John? He’d never been one to go to church on sundays. After all the horrors he’d witnessed during his time in the army he’d found himself to be quite the skeptic of all the Jesus crap. 

And that’s something John and Rowena both unknowingly have in common. Both refuse to have faith in all the religious bullshit, after all they’d been through. If there is a God (now that Rowena had literally met him and John, well, if there’s angels then there has to be one, right?) then he doesn’t give a single shit about any of them, so why bother?

Castiel watched from the far back as Rowena prepared all the ingredients for her spells and John drew some protective sigils on the walls. The angel was aware, from reading the man’s journal, that the hunter knew about enochian sigils. John had heard about angelic lore from different hunters and other people in the life, specially pastor Jim, but since none of them had actually laid eyes on an angel he refused to believe any of that to be truly useful. Still, the hunter had memorized sigils and general enochian knowledge. He didn’t bother to transfer that knowledge to his sons more than a simple mention of it, though. 

So Castiel told him which sigils to place where and the man got to work. He focused on doing it right, reminding Castiel of Sam. The man, much like his son, didn’t like to feel useless, so he made sure to do his work and to do it right. He made sure to be thorough, following instructions like a good soldier as that was what he did best. 

Rowena went over the spell over and over again. They’d told her about Michael and how much of a threat he was to the universe. She just got back from the dead, she’d really like to stay alive for a few centuries before inevitably dying again. The witch was still quite skeptical to work with Lucifer again since he literally was the one who killed her but she can also recognize that she doesn’t really have a choice. Though she did make Lucifer promise to let her go once it was all over. Castiel hadn’t made any promises but she knew she could deal with the angel as she’d done before. 

But that would just throw the Winchesters on her back once again and she really just wants to lay low for a couple years before going back in business, just in case. Now that Crowley was dead, there really was no safety net for her to fall into. She was once again on her own. She’d survived it before, she’ll survive it again. 

~~~

Meanwhile Lucifer was breaking havoc in hell. The first thing on his list was to take care of a certain prince who’d gotten out of line. Hopefully that wouldn’t drag too much attention topside, he wanted to enjoy this whole attention thing for a little longer. 

He zapped himself to what looked like a throne room. Guts and blood clogged the ceiling and walls, the sharp smell of death giving him a metaphorical headache. 

The archangel scowled as a few dozen demons immediately charged at him. He effortlessly waved his hand, turning them all to dust. Lucifer coughed loudly as he patted his left shoulder where some ashes had managed to land, staining his tan jacket. Soon another hoard of demons threw itself at him. None managed to lay a single hit at him, though,as he made sure to vaporize anything that came a little too close without touching him. 

Lucifer smirked. He was back, once again. Granted, a big chunk of his grace would be missing forever, having been consumed in that awful spell, yet he still felt powerful enough to be able to crush the entire universe with his pinky finger. 

“Lucifer” the all-too annoying accent greeted him. The archangel barely managed to stop himself from rolling his eyes as he turned to the prince. 

“Asmodeus” Lucifer greeted back, mockingly. “Heya”

“I see you got part of your spark back” Asmodeus sat on his throne, looking terribly unthreatened, even as he’d clearly seen Lucifer’s little display. 

“I did, yeah” Lucifer smirked “Isn’t that wonderful?”

“You know me, i do love a challenge” The prince said, finally standing up and walking a couple steps towards Lucifer. 

“That’s one thing we have in common” Lucifer walked a couple steps forward too, letting only a couple feet between them. “Sadly, this one doesn’t feel as challenging” 

Asmodeus rose an eyebrow at this “You seem to forget hell is mine now” his eyes flashed yellow and a thunder echoed in the distance. “All of its power belongs to me”

“You seem to forget i don’t give a shit” the archangel shifted his shoulders, exposing his three pairs of wings as his eyes glowed a deep red. The thunders got louder and the lightning in the room shifted to a dimmer glow. “I’m Lucifer”

“Let’s do this, then” 

~~~

“Why are you doing this?” 

Castiel raised an eyebrow at the question. He certainly wasn’t expecting that from the witch. He’d been having flashbacks to the time he had to act as a mediator between her and Charlie, letting himself feel a pang of sadness at the memory of her. He’d been expecting a similar situation with John now but so far they’d keep their mutual hate on the down low. 

“Because it’s the right thing to do” the angel replied, voice carefully neutral and emotionless. 

“Is it?” Rowena turned to him with a smirk “I mean, yeah saving the world seems to be what you heroes do. But working with Lucifer? After last time?”

“You’re working with him too” Castiel glared at her before going back to the old spellbook he’d been eyeing for the past hour or so. 

“I don’t have a choice. I bail on him, he kills me again” Rowena shrugged, balancing a pig jaw between her delicate hands. 

“Well i don’t have a choice either. Michael has to be stopped” He flipped through the ancient spellwork with ease, trying to reassure himself. Once again he was working behind the boy’s back with one of their mortal enemies, but it was all for the greater good. 

And oh how many times has this whole thing screwed him over. And he never learns… or so they think. He knows what he’s doing, and he knows he can not keep coming back with his head hung low begging for forgiveness over and over again. There’s nothing he wants more than to pick up his phone and call them, tell them what he’s actually up to. But Lucifer won’t let him and even if he did he wouldn’t want to expose the Winchester’s to this. They’ve all had their fair share of ‘the end is nigh’ moments to last them a few lifetimes. 

Besides he’s way past the point of no return. Castiel is waiting for Lucifer’s signal to set the final spell lock before Michael shows since it has to be done in the moment or else it won’t work. 

Meanwhile John sat on one of the few pews that still looked stable enough to hold someone’s weight, twirling the angel blade Castiel gave him between his hands. The angel had been hesitant to give the man such weapon, and sure enough as soon as the man held it he plunged himself forward, ready to kill the angel. Castiel was fast, though and managed to jump out of the way. With his extraordinary strength the angel wrestled the weapon from John’s grasp and held the man down, trying not to hurt him in the process. 

“You try something like that again, i’ll leave you weaponless” the angel threatened. Being a soldier himself, he knew just how uneasy John must feel without a weapon to defend himself. The hunter sighed and took the blade back before walking away to his spot. 

And now he just sat there, waiting. He kept telling himself why he was doing this. He pictured those photographs the angel had shown him, how bright Mary’s smile had been. He kept telling himself _You’re doing this for your boys. You’re doing this for your wife_. The same mantra he’d been repeating himself for 22 years before he died. Over and over again he reminded himself why he’d been fighting as the only reason to keep moving forward. Now more than ever he had to focus and see this through, he wanted nothing more than to reunite himself with his family, see them smile in person. 

~~~

The scene was horrific. Blood, guts and flesh hung from every wall. The smell of burnt flesh and death clogged Lucifer’s nostrils as he sat there, a small smile on his face. Yes, he’d been in deep need of that. 

The battle had been exhausting, Asmodeus was surprisingly equal in power but the strength hell gave him wasn’t enough to take on the devil himself. After Lucifer’s little show no demons dared to intervene, choosing to sit back and wait for a winner. And so, what seemed like an eternity later (27 minutes to the demos who were definitely not counting each and every second) Asmodeus’ lifeless body collapsed on the ground like a sad, pathetic sack of potatoes. 

The archangel smiled triumphantly, admiring his work before he remembered his mission. He snapped his fingers to clean his bloodied clothes and rolled his shoulders, stretching his wings before disappearing from the room. 

His next step was a lot less violent. 

Heaven was chaos. Castiel hadn’t been joking with the whole ‘going extinct’ crap. There were so few angels that those who remained dedicated themselves 24/7 to support the souls as well as crunch numbers, no matter what their original hierarchy was. Lucifer raised his eyebrows, surprised. Angels who he’d once seen emerge triumphant after the battle with hell were now working statistics and other stupid crap. 

As soon as his presence was acknowledged the entire place fell into a deafening silence, panic emerging from everyone. 

“Relax, i’m not here to hurt anyone” Lucifer said, raising his hands to appear harmless. “I’m just trying to get someone’s attention, that’s all. You can go back to your numbers” 

Lucifer was utterly shocked when the angels did just that. None of them asked any questions, focusing entirely on their work. He shrugged, deciding not to give it too much thought. 

The archangel trolled through heaven. It had been so long since the last time he’d really done so, stopping to admire the intricate works angels did as well as the beautiful different paradises. He took special time in the garden just breathing it in. 

Yeah, he could recognize that Earth had it’s beautiful side. Mountains, rivers, forests, it was all a small tease of paradise that goes completely unappreciated by those careless humans. After all those centuries in the cage, Lucifer had been more than eager to breathe in said paradise as he’d remembered God creating it but was utterly disappointed yet pleased after seeing what humans had done. In that moment he’d known he’d been right all along, that plague had selfishly destroyed that wonderful gift. 

And now here he was, enjoying the real thing. It was wonderful, the soft, warm light washing over his core being. He took a deep breath, breathing in all those sweet smells remembering those times when he used to sit and smell flowers all day, listening to his Father talk and talk. Lucifer smiled,not being able to hold back as all the bittersweet memories came rushing in. 

He remembered the times when it was just the four archangels and God, sitting in Eden and talking about creation and being. He remembered the blissful feeling of peaceful and quiet, specially before number one dad gave him the mark. 

Suddenly he felt a disturbance on Earth. A big pulse of grace had ruptured through the waves. It felt like a weird itch he couldn’t scratch, weird and uncomfortable, a strong sense of not belonging. 

Lucifer sighed. _Castiel, it’s showtime_. 

~~~

The angel sat up, angel blade gripped tightly. 

“Rowena, now” he said, voice harsh and firm as he entered battle mode. 

The witch nodded, dropping the last bits of sage on the bowl before muttering a few words in latin. An orange glow emerged from the bowl as the air filled with sharp electricity. 

John stood from the barely-standing pew and ran to the trap he’d previously set in the middle of the abandoned church. The sigil was painted with black spray paint as opposed to the bright red the Winchesters had used against Lucifer since they wanted to keep the trap as discreet as possible just in case. The hunter drew in the last bit of the enochian sigil, closing the lock. As soon as it was closed, the orange glow from the bowl transferred to the sigil, making it glow brightly for a few seconds before dimming into a very subtle shine. 

Then Castiel made a circle of holy oil around the sigil. He’d previously mixed one of Lucifer’s archangel feathers in with the oil to make it stronger. Hopefully they’d be able to trap Michael for at least 2 hours. 

_The trap is in place_ Castiel prayed to Lucifer. _It’s up to you now_.

~~~

In a flutter of wings Lucifer was back on Earth, in a Burger King parking lot to be exact.

“Really, Michael?” Lucifer said, rolling his eyes.

“Nice to see you too, brother” Michael said, a cocky smile on his face. 

Lucifer sighed dramatically. “You’re not my brother”.

“Right. Is that why you got that thing in your pocket or are you just real happy to see me?” 

“Oh you mean this?” Lucifer reached into one of his jeans pockets and fished out a hex bag, throwing it at the archangel while muttering a few words in enochian. 

Michael’s vessel was instantly paralyzed. He couldn’t breathe or speak as Lucifer smirked triumphantly. He circled Michael a couple times, basking in the feeling before taking his angel blade and swiftly pressing it to Michael’s throat. 

“I’m gonna need that back” He said before sliding the blade across his throat. 

“Dude what the fuck! I’m calling the police!” a drunken slur was heard from across the parking lot. Lucifer rolled his eyes, contemplating on smiting that unfortunate bypasser right then and there but there was no time. 

Lucifer turned back to Michael, took a little vial from his other pocket and swiftly stored half of the archangel’s grace in it. Michael stared wide eyed, struggling against the invisible restrains. 

“Now it’s time to go” Lucifer said and in another flutter of wings they left the parking lot, just in time for a confused police officer to blink a couple times as he parked his car. He could’ve sworn he’d seen the two guys there. 

~~~

As soon as Castiel felt Lucifer’s presence nearing the church his grip on his angel blade got impossibly tighter. 

Lucifer threw Michael inside the trap before taking his place next to Castiel. 

“What are you gonna do, kill me?” Michael asked, looking around the abandoned church and down to the trap that currently held him tight. 

“No” Castiel said “We’re sending you back to your own universe” he looked at Rowena who was preparing a second bowl for the spell. Lucifer twirled the vial with the archangel’s grace between his fingers, feeling the vibrations of energy coming off of it. 

Michael snorted “Yeah, and i’ll just have to come back” he smirked.

“Except you won’t be able to. With just half of your grace? I know from personal experience how harsh it can be” Lucifer said, smirking cockily. 

“You don’t know what i’m capable of” Michael said. 

“Oh believe me, i know better than anyone” Lucifer showed Michael the grace vial before walking towards Rowena. 

“Aww really? You know me so well yet in my universe i swatted you like a fly” Michael taunted “It was so pathetically easy, i must admit i was kind of disappointed”

Lucifer stopped dead in his tracks, turning to Michael. “Excuse me?”

“It was so fun, too. I took my time, making you beg for your life. Oh, how you cried!” Michael laughed mockingly “Every time i close my eyes i see it and it makes me so happy” 

That did it. Lucifer took his blade and pounced on Michael.

“Lucifer, no!” Castiel said but it was too late. The holy oil stopped burning as Lucifer breached the circle, breaking the trap and with one swift movement the room was flooded with bright light. Seconds later Micael’s vessel crumbled in the ground. 

“Lucifer, what have you done?”


	16. ...Now What?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Lucifer messes up their plan, Castiel needs to find a way to fix the universe, inmediately realizing he's going to need a lot of help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I'm sorry. I know it took me waaaaay to long to update. I swear i meant to post this earlier but long story short i dislocated my jaw and well... it wasn't fun. Anyways this is a bit shorter than usual but bear with me.

“Lucifer” Castiel whispered, his eyes wide in shock and slight panic “What have you done?”

Lucifer blinked a few times, his gaze dancing between his blood-covered blade and Michael’s lifeless vessel laying on across the traps John had previously painted on the old wooden floor. The archangel’s grip on his blade faltered erratically following the rhythm of his heavy breaths and the pounding in his chest. 

He’d blacked out for a few seconds there. Scarily enough this was something very common in Lucifer, with him bearing The Mark since the beginning of time and all that. He can’t remember a time where he’s been truly at peace after his Father gave it to him, his short fuse and hunger for blood overwhelming him to the point where he can’t fathom being anything other than The Great Adversary. 

And the worst part of it all is that he’s truly aware of this. 

Lucifer knows that he is who he is thanks to The Mark, thanks to his dad, and he knows that he was different before. Sure, he wasn’t mother Teresa or anything close to that, but he wasn’t a bloodthirsty monster either. It’s been so long, the definition of peace transformed into nothing but a concept he can’t bring himself to believe. 

“What does it look like? I just killed the bastard” Lucifer shrugged. To him it was no big deal, just another kill in his long, eternal list. 

Castiel’s eyes widened even more, disbelief clouding his bright blue irises. “Oh you just killed him” his tone was sarcastic, and even Rowena lifted an eyebrow at it “Do you have any idea of the cosmic consequences this could bring upon us?!” 

“Nothing we can’t handle” the archangel said, dismissively. He reached out for an old rag in Rowena’s witching station to clean his blade, dropping the stained fabric on the decaying vessel on the ground. It landed on his face, making Lucifer’s permanent smirk twitch. 

“No, not we” Castiel said, walking towards Lucifer until they were just a few inches away from each other, making intense eye contact with the archangel “You are fixing this. I’m done playing your stupid games” 

The archangel’s eyes glowed red in a futile attempt to frighten the angel into submission. “What did you just said?” 

Rowena took a couple careful steps back, hiding behind what used to be wooden doors. John didn’t bother to move, deciding to follow the fight that’s about to unfold closely. His grip on the angel blade remained firm, his instincts telling him to remain alert and ready to intervene if things go too far. 

“I said” Castiel growled “I’m done with your stupid games” He stood up straight, lifting his chin to appear more threatening. He wasn’t going to give Lucifer any sort of satisfaction by looking affected by his threats. 

“You know who you’re talking to, right?” Lucifer growled back, that damn smirk on his face growing cockily. “I can destroy you with a simple snap of my fingers” 

“Except you won’t, or you would’ve done it already” Castiel replied, a daring glint sparkling in his eyes. 

“Yeah, well. Just know i’m not done with you” the archangel stepped a few inches back, rolling back his shoulders, stretching his wings across the room.

“Don’t you dare-” but before the angel could finish his sentence Lucifer was gone, the flutter of wings echoing through the empty church, breaking the deep silence that would’ve otherwise occupied the room. “Lucifer!” Castiel called out but to no avail, the archangel was out of reach. 

Rowena slowly emerged from her hiding spot, looking around for any sign of Lucifer messing with them. She truly wasn’t ready to be killed by him again. John stood up from his place in the pews, completely unthreatened by the archangel’s sudden absence. Both stepped towards Castiel, unsure of what was going on. 

“So now what?” John asked, staring at the dead vessel on the ground while twirling his blade between his fingers exasperatedly. 

Castiel sighed. “We can’t leave Lucifer free like this and we need a plan for whatever may be befalling in” He lifted his gaze towards John “We need the Winchester’s help”

John’s breath hitched a little at this and he almost lost his grip on his blade, catching it awkwardly with his thumb and pointer finger. His heartbeat increased with anticipation.

“Well you guys have fun with your little reunion” Rowena said, starting to whisper the beginnings of a spell. 

“Rowena, wait” Castiel said, turning to her “You’re the only one that can return Lucifer to his cage, we will need your help” the angel looked at her, raising his eyebrows “Wouldn’t you rather be under Sam and Dean’s custody than Lucifer’s?”

Rowena remained silent for a couple seconds, weighing her options. She could easily run away, whisper a little spell and leave Castiel and John unable to chase after her, but that would leave her alone and vulnerable. She thinks of herself as powerful and completely capable of looking after herself, but this is the devil himself. Lucifer could find her before when that british asshole kidnapped her, he’ll easily find her again wherever she decides to run to. She can no longer count on his son to keep her safe and she can’t protect herself from Lucifer, not for the long run. With a sigh, she nodded.

“Fine. But promise that when all of this is over you’ll let me go” Rowena said.

“As long as you promise you won’t hurt any humans when you’re free” Castiel replied, not breaking eye contact with the witch. 

Rowena rolled her eyes “Yeah, yeah, whatever”

~~~

Dean ghosted a hand over his face for the thousandth time under 2 hours. He kept staring at the security video showing Lucifer walking down the hotel hallway, his pace firm. The archangel obviously knew what he was doing, every single thing calculated, which means the devil has a plan.

“So what? He went in, killed Ketch and took Rowena?” He asked, keeping his eyes glued to the laptop screen.

“Makes sense” Sam said as he paced nervously around the room, hands on his hips. “Rowena is still the only one that can throw him back to the cage” 

Sam kept walking around the bunker’s garage lost in his thoughts as Dean started typing something on his laptop. The younger hunter was terrified. Yes, he knew Lucifer was free, but they hadn’t heard anything from him until now. He’d kind of hoped that the archangel was in fact laying low since his grace had been mutilated, and maybe even taking a long-term kill-free vacation. 

Now he kidnapped the most powerful witch and is probably using her to somehow get his power back and who knows what other things he might come up with. Just great. 

And Castiel is still missing. It’s been a couple days since they did the tracking spell and the fucker was still M.I.A. With Lucifer roaming free, their worry skyrocketed adding to their stress. They tried to keep calling but it would immediately go to voicemail. Shit.

“We should probably tell mom” Sam murmured, turning to look at Dean. The oled hunter sat awkwardly against the Impala, the laptop balanced on his thighs as he practically pressed his face against the screen. 

“Yeah” Dean said absentmindedly. “You do that” He kept typing on Sam’s laptop, eyes shifting across the bright screen rapidly. 

“What are you doing?” Sam asked, peeking over Dean’s shoulder. He was met with multiple news articles, traffic cams and police reports. 

“Looking for omens” Dean murmured “We need leads on that asshat’s plan” 

Sam nodded. “Ok, sure, yeah” he rubbed his eyes roughly, immediately regretting it as he felt a sharp sting. His hands were covered in oil and sweat, courtesy of Dean’s work. “I’ll go get mom” 

“Wait” Dean said, finally lifting his face off the screen. “What about Jack?” 

Crap. 

“He knows Lucifer is out there. We’d eventually run into him” Even as the voice of reason, the younger hunter couldn’t even fool himself. 

“Yeah” Dean sighed, leaning back on the impala. “The kid is scared shitless of him”

Sam nodded. He remembered the conversation he’d had with the kid a few weeks ago. He’d promised him he wouldn’t let Lucifer get to him and he intended to keep that promise. “We have to be careful with him”

“Mhmm” Dean nodded, scrolling through weather reports. 

Sam stood up, heading back inside. 

He looked around the bunker until he finally found Mary and Jack watching a romcom in the library. He looked at Mary and Jack’s content faces and considered waiting until the movie was over but this really couldn’t wait. He cleared his throat awkwardly making both shift their attention to him. 

Mary frowned and reached for the remote, pausing the movie. Both her and Jack sensed the new tension in the room. 

“What’s wrong?” Jack asked, concerned. He’d never seen Sam look so alarmed in his brief life. 

“Lucifer has Rowena” Sam blurted out, deciding not to sugarcoat things. He explained how Lucifer killed Ketch, as well as their suspicions on Lucifer’s newfound mission. He flinched as he saw both Mary and Jack’s faces twist in horror. 

Dean stumbled into the room holding Sam’s laptop, still reading through different news articles looking for clues. “There’s nothing-”

Suddenly Jack hunched over in pain, holding his head with his hands. Mary immediately reached forward, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Jack?” she asked, stroking his forearm with her free hand. 

“It’s the angels” Jack said between clenched teeth. “There was a big burst of energy” 

The three Winchesters looked at Jack expectantly as the nephilim slowly raised his head, wrapping his arms around himself. 

“They’re saying an archangel was killed. But Michael is still in the cage and Lucifer…” Jack gulped, turning to the Winchesters. “They think it was the other Michael”

Suddenly Dean’s phone started ringing. He sat the laptop on top of a nearby table and reached into his pocket.The screen flashed a number he didn’t recognized. He turned the screen to Sam but he shook his head, he didn’t recognize the number either. Taking a deep breath, Dean answered. “Yes?”

“Hello Dean” the familiar deep rumble set a wave of relief through Dean’s body. 

“Cas? Hey, is this really you?” his voice came out a bit shakier than he expected but he couldn’t bring himself to care. 

“Yes, it’s me Dean. Asmodeus is dead” there was a slight tone of alarm in Cas’ voice which Dean picked up on immediately. “I need to talk to you. Are you alone?”

“Cas what’s going on? Come to the bunker, now” Three pairs of eyes followed Dean’s every movement as the hunter spoke urgently.

“Dean” Castiel urged “Are you alone?”

“No” Dean said, turning to his family. He’d rather not give any sort of information to who may as well not be Cas. 

“Then go somewhere private. I really need to talk to you” Castiel insisted. 

“Cas…”

“Dean, this is important. You’ll thank me later” 

With a sigh the older Winchester excused himself, rushing to his room. Once there, he closed the door, sitting on the edge of his bed. 

“I’m in my room” he finally said “Talk” 

“Dean…” Castiel sighed “Your father is alive”


	17. Heaven In A Butterfly Net

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Dean react to the shocking news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo way longer than i thought it'd be. Hope you guys like it!!

Castiel worried his bottom lip with his top teeth. If he wasn’t an angel with grace coursing through his being like blood keeping him fit, his lip would be bleeding quite badly right now. He held the phone tightly against his ear as the line remained silent. The phone booth he was currently in was making him feel claustrophobic and he wondered why his father would have glass walls retain heat in such a small space. 

He sneaked a few glances at the stolen car, courtesy of John, currently hosting the hunter and an ancient, powerful witch. He’d previously put some handcuffs on Rowena to keep her from doing any magic as well as taking John’s angel blade, replacing it with a regular knife to give him some sort of comfort, yet not enough to seriously hurt either the witch nor the angel. He prayed for them to keep their thoughts to themselves, anything to give him enough time to talk to Dean.

The line remained alarmingly silent and the angel was now half-expecting Dean to just hang up the phone. His chapped lips screamed for mercy as he anxiously shifted his weight from one foot to the other. 

Finally, the angel had enough. “Dean?” he said quietly, careful not to trigger the hunter into actually hanging up.

The line was completely silent for a few more seconds before a loud, hysterical laugh resonated throughout the entire phone booth. The angel flinched, almost losing his grip on the old thing. If Castiel was being honest he wasn’t expecting this kind of response from the hunter which just fed the knot forming in his throat. He swallowed down any sort of verbal response that tried to fight it’s way out of his mouth (even when he wasn’t sure of what he could really say) as Dean’s laugh slowly died down.

“Dean this isn't a joke” Castiel said, keeping his voice calm and stern. He knew he had to approach this as gently and patiently as possible being he was talking about the literal root of most of Dean’s issues here. 

Another desperate laugh was practically forced out on the other end. “Yeah, right” A choked sound escaped the hunter’s throat, sounding like a wounded animal. “Look, i don’t know who you are but i will find out and you will pay for this” 

“Dean, i swear it is me” the angel pleaded “It’s Cas” 

The hunter huffed annoyingly. “Sure, yeah. I’m gonna hang up now” 

“No! Dean, wait, please don’t hang up!” the angel’s voice came out desperate, pleading, and the hunter sighed but kept silent. 

“I know that a lot has been happening lately and i promise i will tell you everything once we meet but please, i need you to trust me right now. Asmodeus is dead” The line remained silent for a couple seconds.

“And what about Lucifer?” the hunter’s voice was dangerously quiet, the words carrying an icy tone to them. 

The angel closed his eyes “You know about him”. 

“Kind of difficult to miss” the hunter responded, keeping his tone. 

Castiel sighed “After everything, you still think i’d say yes to him? Again?” 

“No” Dean’s voice was slightly louder, yet it kept it’s icy undertones “But as you said, a lot has happened. I can’t take risks.” _I can’t put my family in danger_. The unspoken words were acknowledged by the angel who unconsciously let a small smile stretch his perpetually chapped lips. 

“You’re a good man, Dean Winchester” the angel’s words were warm, contrasting with Dean’s tense ones. Still, both men smiled, feeling each others’ through the phone. 

“Not better than you, Cas” The man’s voice set a wave of relief through Castiel’s being, making the small smile twitch warmly before being wiped off completely, replaced by a tight-lipped frown. 

“That’s debatable, considering” The line stayed silent for a couple seconds more.

“So… dad” Dean said, his voice once again quiet. Except Castiel knew the hunter better than he knew himself. He could practically see Dean sat on one end of his bed, phone in one hand as he ghosted the other over his face, setting it over his eyes to try and ground himself after such world-wrecking news. 

“Lucifer brought him back” Castiel explained, knowing this would only intensify Dean’s worry. 

“Lucifer? Why?” the hunter’s voice was rough yet steady. He kept himself grounded and focused. 

“He thought he could help” Castiel explained vaguely yet cautiously since he didn’t want the hunter to explode on him over the phone. 

“Help?! Help with what?! Cas, what is going on?!” Castiel could hear the mattress springs protecting as Dean stood up, opting to pace around his room nervously. 

“I promise i’ll explain everything, but i think it wise to meet somewhere other than the bunker” 

The hunter nodded. “Yeah, ok. Where are you?”.

“It’s a five hour drive to Topeka. We can meet in the abandoned parking lot where we killed that ghoul a few months ago” 

~~~

Dean sat in his room’s carpeted floor. It had been a long time since he’d hung up the phone, he sure as hell wasn’t sure how long, but he couldn’t bring himself to move. He doesn’t even know how he got there, he just remembers one moment standing in front of the cracked mirror by his old green couch and next thing he knew he was sitting criss-cross on the grey carpet poking at the questionable stains that littered it. 

His mind was running wild with thoughts, yet none of them concrete enough to highlight itself from the others. He wasn’t sure how to feel, what to think. 

When his mom came back, he almost laughed at himself with how quick he was with accepting it. After 33 years his mother stands there, wearing a ridiculous nightgown, and he just talks to her. He talked and talked about everything and nothing at all. He gave her a rough idea of how she was brought back, he commented on the cold weather and shrugged off his jacket for her, he told her about his father sacrificing himself for him, he pointed out at how beautiful the sunrise looked over the lake, he talked about his ridiculously tall brother and his ridiculously long hair, and many, many other things during that small period of time between getting beaten up by her and arriving to the bunker. 

But it was his mother, the perfect woman he never got to say goodbye to. The idea of the perfect life, the perfect home, the perfect family. Finally she was right in front of him and he instantly forgot about everything he really wanted to tell her akin to anger and hate and instead he broke down all positive things he could muster despite having just mended the relationship between God and his sister. 

So many things have been taken away from him, he was desperate to keep something good for himself. Yes, he was being selfish but after everything, he knew he was entitled. For the first time in his life he had something he’d yearned for for so long, he couldn’t bring himself to accept the possibility of it not being something he gets to keep. Except it being one of the extremely few times he actually got to be selfish, he got a bit out of line and ignored anything that pointed to things not being as merry as he forced them to be and things quickly started to change. 

It suddenly became less easy to keep the positivity. Mary left, gave them good reasons for it too, yet he still closed down. He took off his blindfold and realized he couldn’t keep the perfect, he couldn’t keep anything positive. Yet he still got hurt about it, the last strings of hope holding him together collapsing. And so he remembered all those dangerous things he’d really wanted to say before and he felt them burn him alive as they slowly, painfully dissolved his skin, leaving him to bear his bones. 

In the end he’d been able to mend things. As much as he never thought it would happen, he talked to his mother. He forgave her for everything she’d done, he opened up to let her in and build that perfect family he so desperately needed. 

And now things were starting to look up, or so he tried to make himself believe. He had Sam and Mary and Jack all under one roof, yet there was one giant space left empty, clawing at his false sense of security. But he still had hope to fill that space, make it right. He knew he could get Castiel back, and this time he would ask his to stay and never let that space empty again. He’d finally have his perfect family all around him, he’d never feel alone again. 

But then John Winchester decides to show up. 

Dean had never, ever thought of this as a possibility. He’d accepted his father’s death a long time ago, he was finally separating himself from everything related to him. Yes, John is his father and he loves him but the hunter knew he had to get rid of all the toxic things that John had plagued his mind with. 

There was so much of him that had changed from the young, reckless man he once was. The uncertainty of that affecting his interactions with John ate him alive. Dean was scared shitless of throwing all his progress out the window for this man. It had taken so much healing from himself and other people around him, he was more than scared to lose all that. 

And Sam. God, his father’s last words still haunt him in his dreams. Yes, he did save Sam, but at what cost? He’s sure the old man won’t approve of that, or any of the things that followed right up to this point. But Sam, how is he going to react? 

And Mary… Fuck. 

Dean is quite grateful that Cas insisted on talking to Dean alone. God knows what kind of clusterfuck would ensue if they all found out at the same time. 

As if on queue, a knock on his door startled him. 

“Dean? Is everything ok?” Sam asked, concern clouding his words. 

Dean swallowed the lump that formed in his throat and roughly cleared it before answering “Yeah” 

The door opened slowly and in came Sam, a slight frown highlighting the lines on his forehead making him look older. 

“Hey, is everything ok?” the younger hunter hovered by the door, still holding the doorknob between two fingers. 

Dean sighed, silently cursing their honesty policy before answering. “No, Sam. Everything’s far from ok at the moment” 

Sam gulped, his shoulders tensing at the words. He slowly made his way inside the room, closing the door behind him before sitting on the carpet next to Dean. “What did Cas say? Why did he want to talk to you alone?” 

The younger hunter didn’t mean to pry, knowing to respect their own privacy boundaries they’d set after years of traveling together, sharing most stuff and treasuring truly personal things. But judging by Dean’s overall attitude this was important.

Dean debated whether it would be wise to tell Sam, not knowing how he would react, but he had to know. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt having some backup just in case things turned sideways for him. 

“So, Cas has been busy” Dean started, trying to ease the information out hoping not to freak out his giant moose of a brother. “The whole Asmodeus and Lucifer mess and stuff” 

“Anything new about Lucifer?” Sam asked.

“Yeah, something like that” Dean sighed, keeping his eyes glued to the carpet. He can’t remember a time where he’d been so stressed out and scared this way. 

“Dean” Sam said sternly, catching Dean’s gaze “What happened?” 

“Lucifer brought dad back” 

The words blurted out of his mouth with no conscious thought. Dean’s breath caught in his throat, his heart rate sped up to dangerous levels and his fingers stilled on the carpet, nails digging in in a way to try and keep himself grounded and calm for his little brother’s sake. No matter how many times the words escaped his mouth, he still had trouble understanding the combination of sounds and what they truly mean. 

Sam remained silent next to him. His breathing so soft Dean was worried he’d eventually stop pulling air into his lungs. He slowly turned to his brother, meeting his green-blue eyes. Sam’s gaze was lost, though. His posture remained firm, frozen, and his face had a neutral expression that scared Dean beyond words. 

He’d fucked up. Maybe he should’ve just lied, met with Cas alone and actually see for himself if this nightmare was really true. Even if that put himself in danger, at least his brother, his family, they’d all be safe. But he knows he wouldn’t have been able to keep the whole secret to himself for too long. Eventually the realization of what all of this entails will fall down on him and when it does he knows he’s going to need someone to pull him out. He’s not as good at keeping things down as he used to be. 

Slowly, Sam’s eyes started shifting around the room, recognition plastering on his otherwise expressionless features. “What?” he whispered softly, searching Dean’s face for a sign, anything to indicate he actually heard the correct words. 

“Cas says Lucifer thought he could help” Dea tried to explain “Still he wouldn’t give me details over the phone. He wants to meet in Topeka” 

There was a short silence before Sam spoke again. “Ok” His voice remained quiet. “Ok” He slowly stood up from the carpet, keeping himself steady against the wall. “Well let’s go” 

“Wait!” Dean said, voice equally quiet as he slowly stood up next to Sam. “You can’t tell mom. Or Jack” 

Sam nodded slowly, ghosting a hand over his face. “Yeah, ok, i won’t. Just, uh, give me a few minutes, i’ll meet you in the garage” and with that the younger hunter stumbled out of the room, leaving Dean to stand in the middle feeling lost. 

God, what has his life come to?

~~~

A few minutes turned into half an hour but eventually both brothers set off with the excuse of getting some groceries and stuff. Mary eyed them suspiciously while Jack barely even bothered to look away from the movie he was currently watching, but eventually they both nodded and the brothers were out. 

The ride to Topeka was eerily silent. Dean didn’t even bother to pull out one of his cassette tapes, and Sam just stared out the window in deep contemplation. The older hunter decided to keep a slow pace, partially wishing to stall this as much as possible and partially in acknowledge that Cas would take some time to arrive and if he had to stand in an abandoned building waiting for them him to show up he’d lose his mind for good. 

Eventually they arrived to Topeka and with a sigh Dean pulled over a couple blocks away from where they’re supposed to meet Cas. He shut off the engine and turned to Sam, speaking the first words uttered in hours. 

“We need a plan” The words broke the cold atmosphere that had set around them, warming up with the heat of the nearing battle. “Just in case things go sideways”

“You really think that wasn’t Cas?” Sam asked, arching an eyebrow. 

Dean sighed. “No, but we never seem to know these days” 

So they discussed a simple plan. Having already been in the building, they recapped all the possible escape hatches, windows, closed spaces and any other thing that might help. 

They went over it all four times, unconsciously stalling. It was dark outside, the sun had set a couple hours ago. Perhaps it wasn’t the smartest choice to do this in the dark, but this couldn’t wait. They set their phones in silent mode in case either Mary or Jack decided to call them in the middle of the exchange. 

With flashlights gripped tight in one hand, an angel blade i the other and countless other concealed weapons placed securely in their bodies, the brothers excited the car. They weren’t nearly as ready as they’d feel comfortably enough being, but they both swallowed it all down and kept going. 

The brothers reached the building, turning their flashlights on as they entered slowly, cautiously. Right as they went through the main doorway they came face to face with the angel, trench coat looking as impeccable as always. 

The moment their eyes met, Dean knew. This truly was his angel. 

“Cas!” he called out once he was close enough and in a couple strides both men reached each other's spaces. Without hesitation the angel wrapped his arms around the human, hugging him tightly. It took him a couple seconds but eventually the older hunter hugged back, a wave of relief washing over him at finally having his best friend close. 

Sadly they had to let go too soon for either of their likes. Sam reached forward and wrapped his arms around Castiel, a little less tightly than Dean. The angel smiled softly, he’d missed them. 

“Cas, what is going on?” Dean asked as they pulled away, going into battle mode. Castiel sighed, his hands shifting by his sides. 

And so the angel explained everything, from meeting with Lucifer, being caught by Asmodeus, escaping and being trapped once again in Lucifer’s safe house. 

“Lucifer?!” Sam asked, incredulous “You were working with Lucifer?!”

The angel sighed. “Yes”

“Cas do you have any idea-”

Castiel cut Dean off before he went off on a rant. “I know, Dean, i know.”

“Oh, you know” the older hunter’s eyebrows almost reached his hairñine as he stepped closed to the angel, bumping their chests together “Then, if you know, why the fuck would you help Lucifer?!”

“He’s the only one who truly knew how to trap Michael and send him back to his universe” Castiel explained exasperatedly “I had to take the chance” 

“Right, ok” Dean looked at him in the eyes daringly. “Then why the fuck didn’t you call, at least. This would’ve been easier without us thinking you were dead in a ditch somewhere” 

Castiel looked down, unable to hold Dean’s stare. “I’m sorry. Lucifer had us trapped, there was no way for me to communicate with you” 

“Us?” Sam’s voice was quiet from his place behind Dean. 

“Me… and Rowena… and your father” Castiel said equally as quiet, lifting his gaze to meet the brothers’. 

“So it’s true” Dean said, taking a step back from the angel “Our dad…” 

“They’re in the car” Castiel said, pointing at a car parked on the other side of the building, it’s front lights shining against a cracked, dirty window casting strange shadows around them. “John and Rowena, they’re waiting in the car”


	18. This Is How We Grow Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John finally reunites with his boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *rubs hands together*

John sat shotgun in the old Sedan he’d hotwired a couple towns over. It reeked of tobacco and sweat, but there was no time for luxury. He was finally going to meet with his family after so many years, he was truly impatient. 

He watched as the angel drove, his gaze fixed on the road ahead except for the occasional glance to the backseat where the witch sat with her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes glued to the window. 

Eventually the human settled back on his seat, choosing to relax a bit. He still kept a firm grip of his knife under his jacket, but after spending so much time with the angel he doubted a simple stab would even slow him down. No, he needed that fancy, shiny blade to do real damage but of course the creature wisely took it from him. The hunter tried to fight him off, desperately trying to keep the best and only weapon he could carry, but the angel was strong and stubborn and eventually John gave up. Still, the angel was kind enough to give him some other weapon, otherwise the hunter would’ve been too on edge to really cooperate. 

Now they’d stopped at a phone booth next to a gas station. The angel didn’t say who he was talking to, but the way he stared pleadingly at the glass walls of the booth gave John an idea. If the angel truly knew his sons as well as those pictures entailed, he’d wisely call for a warning. He can picture his sons, the way he’d taught them to be skeptical of everything, and wondered how they’d end up trusting an angel. 

Unless they don’t. John can see the advantages of having an angel of the Lord on your side, and judging by the way the angel talked about them they’d really managed to get themselves a lap dog. The idea of his sons playing with so called enemies and dragging them to their side brought a small, proud smile to his face. God, he couldn’t wait to see his sons again, all grown up and mature. 

When the angel came back, he looked more at ease. His posture remained impeccable, but the tension was gone from his shoulders and his stare became less intense. That untied the knot on John’s stomach since it had to mean that his sons were ok and on board to meet. 

The rest of the car ride went by on a blur for the hunter. His mind kept racing with all kinds of scenarios that could play out in their reunion. 

John knew he wasn’t going to win any father of the year awards, yet he still believes he did the best in impossible circumstances. Yes, he raised his sons as warriors, but at least they were still alive after so many years working the job. During his time as an active hunter John had witnessed countless of young hunters come and go by the hands of the monsters and freaks that plagued the world. One by one, no matter how well trained, every hunter met an eventual bloody end. 

Many older hunters had been surprised by John’s survival. He’d tell them the secret was to have something to come back to, which many hunters lacked of. The desire to go back to see his sons again and finding out what had killed Mary kept him going even when it seemed impossible at the time. No injury, no monster would take that away from him. Of course, those hunters who had lost it all, or never had anything to lose to begin with would roll their eyes, thinking it was just the babblings of a drunken war veteran. But others, those who were in similar situations to his, they nodded and showed that sort of solidarity that only soldiers would share in the trenches. 

And now he was back on the game board and as always the only thing that moved him was the hope of seeing his family again. He couldn’t wait to hear their stories, their victories from all these years. They surely put to shame his own war memoirs, and John thinks it’s physically impossible for him to feel prouder. 

When they get to the abandoned building, he doesn't complain about the fact that the angel gets to talk to them first. He recognizes the type of strategy, as well as the attempt to water down the intensity of the situation. John can’t even imagine the reaction his boys had to seeing Mary again, to finally meet her as the wonderful woman she’d always been. And now he’s back, and he doesn’t know how they’ll react. 

Some sort of anxiety threatened to wash him away, making him shift uncomfortably on the old, dirty seat. Every time he moved, a wave of smells would haunt his nostrils, making him regret not asking the angel to lower the windows (not that he was expecting him to actually roll them down, knowing the ex-marine to be a serious escape threat). The witch seemed to notice this, and with a venomous smile she spoke for the first time in hours. 

“Nervous?” She asked, looking at him through the rear view mirror. 

John decided to ignore her, instead cursing at the bright headlights reflecting on the dirty, cracked windows of the building making it hard for him to peak inside. He was only able to see shadows, and his heart started beating faster as he recognized Sam’s wild mop of hair.

“Ah, kids. Always a joy to be reunited with them, isn’t it?” Rowena smirked. John sighed, rubbing his eyes which had started to sting from staring at the headlights’ reflection for too long.

“You have kids?” he asked, deciding it might help him to start up a conversation, maybe even gather as much useful information against the witch as he could.

“I had a son” Rowena said, looking down at her nails nonchalantly. “The king of Hell”

John’s eyes widened in surprise for a fraction of a second before returning to his usual boring look. “You must’ve been proud” He said sarcastically, fighting the urge to roll his eyes.

Rowena acknowledged this and smirked. 

“I was” She said, leaning in on her seat making challenging eye contact with John through the mirror “I really was, he had so much potential, up until your two idiotic sons got in the way” 

John kept the eye contact firmly, knowing she was unable to perform any sort of magic spell at the moment. 

“What happened?” He asked, trying not to show much interest. 

Rowena’s face twisted into a threatening frown. “He killed himself for them”.

A sharp silence settled in the car. Once again John cursed himself for letting the windows roll shut. He felt trapped in the dense atmosphere that had formed inside. The old hunter broke eye contact with the witch, trying to process this new piece of information. 

Not only were his sons well aquantanced with an angel, but they had tricked the king of Hell into giving himself up for them too? What secrets had his sons gathered throughout more than a decade of running into big bads?

“So yes, i’m not a big fan of your sons” The witch continued, leaning back on the seat, crossing her arms elegantly over her chest. “But i’ve got to admit, every apocalypse, every ‘the end is neigh’ situation, they’ve managed to stop it. They definitely are the sort of allies you want to keep on your side” 

Eventually the angel strolled back, the tension on his shoulders back in place. He quickly made his way to John’s side, opening the door roughly before leaning in.

“Come on” the angel said, motioning for John to get out “They’re waiting inside. I’ll stay here with Rowena” 

“Hey you don’t have to miss this beautiful moment for me” Rowena said from the backseat, a mocking grin on her face ”You can go ahead, i’ll wait here” 

Castiel rolled his eyes, holding the door open for John. “Not happening” the angel grunted.

John hesitantly shuffled out of the car, turning to see the angel sit back in his place. Once settled, Castiel closed the car door and gave John a court solidarity nod before returning to his usual stoic pose and shifting his intense gaze to the blinding light ahead, completely unbothered. If John had to guess, he’d say the angel was able to peak inside which gives him a nice front seat place to the whole ordeal. 

The ex-marine couldn’t decide if he was grateful or bothered by it. 

With a strong sigh he headed towards the entrance of the building. Pieces of concrete and broken windows crunched under his boots as he marched into the night. His brain was fuzzy, his hands sweating and for a second he thought he could see himself dragging his own body into the building before returning to his own physical being. 

_And suddenly they were right there._

A wave of pure, overwhelming relief set upon him, throwing him back twelve years into the past to that time he reunited with them in that motel room more than a decade ago. He’d been following close clues to his wife’s killer and he’d wanted to keep distance with his sons in order to keep them safe. But as he’d learned from early on in the life, danger always follows the Winchesters and so he’d been forced to meet up with them again. 

He’d be lying if he said he regretted it, though. Witnessing his sons work together as a team had filled him up with pride at the time. Even when their relationship wasn’t perfect, they were there and they were safe and that foolishly seemed to be all that mattered to John at the time.

At least he’d gotten the opportunity to witness for himself that his sons were ready to lead the life by themselves, thinking he knew every single detail about his boys that convinced him they would be alright. 

And now they’re standing right in front of them and John can’t recognize them at all. 

They certainly looked older, perhaps even older than John himself. Even in the poor lighting of the room he could clearly see the way their bodies had taken the toll of years of stress and hard work. And their eyes. The darkness of the night couldn’t compare to the opaque light that emanated from their eyes. The atmosphere of the abandoned building contrasted with the figurative dust that covered the men’s overall aura. 

John stood by the entrance completely dumbstruck for God knows how long, the only sounds being their heavy breathing and the slight breeze that carried specks of dust around the room. Finally, he regained his posture and allowed a simple, relieved smile cross his face. This was everything he never thought he’d be able to witness. His sons as full grown men. 

It was Dean who gave in first. He took a tentative step forward, though it still did nothing to eliminate the long distance between them and their father. The older hunter froze in place as his boot crunched a piece of broken glass under him, breaking the silence. Sam remained behind him completely stoic, not knowing how to approach the man now that he had him right in front of him. 

In a thousand ways, meeting Mary had been easier. They both had been too young to really get a grasp of who their mother really was, living in an illusion created by their blinded father. Sure, they’d both been crushed when the smoke cleared out, but eventually they found their way to each other. 

But they knew their father. They’d spent their lives on the backseat of the man’s car, under his shadow. They’d listened and learned from all the things the man chose to share with them. They knew how to read the ex-marine, his moods, his stares. 

They had spent years under this weird dictatorship, it almost seemed like a drunken dream now. Both brothers have grown far too much to be able to fall back to the old routine, and the uncertainty of the inevitable changes in their family dynamics ate them alive. All in this moment. 

“Dad?” Sam broke the silence, his voice coming out shakier than he would’ve wanted. 

John’s smile grew and a sense of warmth wrapped around them like a nice fuzzy blanket on a winter night. “Boys” 

And with that they all closed the distance between them, melting into a much-needed hug. 

They don’t know how long they stayed there, the moment frozen in time, and they didn’t care. And it wasn’t just the relief of being reunited at last that kept them together, but the fear of the _’What now?’_ that echoed through all their heads. 

Eventually the uneasiness tore them apart, and they stood in the middle of the room assessing each other. 

“Well look at you” John officially broke the silence, a small smile still plastered on his face. “I never thought i’d get to see my boys as full grown men” 

“We never thought we’d see you again” Dean said, clearing his throat. He played it off as it being because of the heavy dust that littered the room instead of the knot tightening in his throat. 

They exchanged a few other meaningless words before going back into business. John explained to them what he’d gathered since his awakening and the boys listened, making mental notes to discuss later on. 

Suddenly Sam’s phone went off. He excused himself and left the room, throwing an apologetic half-smile in Dean’s direction. 

Dean clenched his fists at his sides, his fingernails digging into his palm painfully. He took a deep breath before straightening himself and made true eye contact with his father for the first time. 

The eyes that stared back at him were the same hazel eyes he’d been pressured under for most of his life, prompting him to finally speak the words he’d truly known he’d have to say in order to keep himself. 

“Dad” he started, turning his whole body to John. Even with the slight height difference, the older brother seemed to tower over John. “You have to know. Sam and i, we’ve changed. A lot. And right now, we both call the shots” 

John nodded at this. He’d been expecting them to take the wheel, being the ones who know most of the situation. “Of course” 

“And you have to listen to us. You can’t just go do your thing without telling us, we’re a team now. This isn’t a dictatorship where me and Sam get to play your little soldiers, this is the real fucking deal and if you can’t handle it then i’m afraid we’ll have to ask you to leave us”

John blinked down at his son, completely thrown back by his son’s sudden outburst. He’d been used to Sam being the one to challenge him, question his decisions, and in those last few years he’d witnessed a few of Dean’s fits, but it was never like this. There was some kind of ancient fire in his son’s eyes that had laid dormant for a long time, in full display now that it was allowed to burn free. 

“I thought i taught you better than to be disrespectful towards me” John said, offended. 

“Oh i am being respectful, i’m just asking you to give that same respect back” 

Sam walked back into the room, sensing the tenseness that had built up in his absence. He turned to Dean with pleading eyes, trying to tame the flames. 

“It was Jack, they got worried” he said, keeping it simple. Dean nodded, throwing his gaze to the floor before picking it back up, roaming the room while trying to calm himself down. 

“I’ve been told there’s some new members to the family” John said, and the boys couldn’t decide whether he’d said that mockingly or genuinely. Sam gave him a tight lipped smile while Dean just stared pointedly at his father. 

“Damn right” the older brother said. “And i’m guessing you’re dying to see them” 

John returned the tight lipped smile, nodding.


	19. And Suddenly She’s Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary and John reunite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that took so long. Hope you guys like it!! Also, thank you fo much for your comments!! They really help me stay inspired and motivated jdfkjdf

Castiel sat on the filthy passenger seat of the old Sedan staring blankly ahead, completely aware of Rowena making faces behind him. He’d battled with himself whether he should listen in, just in case things got heated enough to need some divine intervention, or just leave the Winchesters to their privacy. But after he saw the looks on both brothers he decided the situation was delicate enough for them to be able to handle it by themselves. 

 

“So, halo” Rowena said from the backseat. “What’s going on in there?” 

It took everything Castiel had left in him for him not to roll his eyes, instead remaining silent and unmoved on his seat. He dared to steal a glance at the broken window and caught sight of Sam walking away, his phone in his hand. He followed him to the entrance where he pressed the phone to his ear and spoke hurriedly. 

Then he returned his gaze to the older brother, but he was discussing something with his father. And soon enough the younger hunter walked back inside.

The witch sighed. “Come on, Castiel. Sitting here is so boring”.

Castiel remained silent, leaving the Winchesters to their privacy once again. He stared at the wall ahead, completely aware of each and every one of Rowena’s movements just in case she decided to risk doing something. 

“Well i guess you do have a lot to think about” the witch kept talking after a long pause. “If i were you i’d be worried sick right now” 

Rowena smirked, leaning back on the seat, tracing her fingers over the cold condensation on the window. 

“I mean, yeah Lucifer is out there and who knows what’ll happen to the universe after his little stunt but those boys are the ones meant to fix it. And how exactly are they going to do that when their dad just came back from the dead?” 

Castiel shifted his eyes to the rear mirror, restraining himself from shifting awkwardly in his seat. 

“Those two have enough daddy issues to fill a brothel. How are they going to push that aside and stop the actual devil?”

The angel was well aware of the witch’s intent. She wanted to distract him, coerce a reaction from him, and he won’t let her have that satisfaction.

“And you… they are totally going to dump you” Rowena kept talking, a smirk taking over her face “Now that they have the devil’s son they’re totally going to kick your little feathered ass out”

Castiel finally sighed at this, turning around on his seat to look at the witch. “Could you please just shut up” 

“You know i’m right” 

Just then there was a loud knock on the driver’s window. Dean waved his hand and Castiel immediately reached over and rolled it down. The hunter looked tense, even more so than usual. The worry lines on his forehead making him look ten years older and his eyes looked clouded. Castiel knew what that meant. The hunter was drowning in his own thoughts and he refused to let any sort of vivid emotion come through, instead pushing it all down until he inevitably got drunk enough to sleep, repeating the process until he broke down, preferably in private. The angel would have to talk to him soon, as they often did, for him to get whatever’s eating him off his chest. 

“We’re taking him to the bunker, follow us” and with that he tapped the car door once before making his way towards the Impala where John and Sam waited patiently. Castiel sighed and shuffled to the driver’s seat, turning the key and bringing the car to life. 

“Oh so we’re meeting with the rest of the family!” Rowena said, her face breaking into another poisoned smirk “Splendid! I do hope i get to witness this one” 

The next few hours were spent in an eerie silence. The highway was completely empty, the only source of light coming from the moon and the two pairs of headlights, one behind the other. 

The angel’s grip on the steering wheel shifted along with his thoughts, the witch’s words echoing through his mind. 

He knew things would get complicated the moment he recognized John Winchester laying on Lucifer’s couch. Just as he’d known the moment Dean introduced him to Mary. But the pressing matters had forced things to move too much, too fast, and he hadn’t had enough time to actually process the information properly. 

Now, once again the fate of the world laid on their hands, yet none of them were in immediate danger. With Mary he’d been too focused on getting Sam back, then leaving them to their privacy as he dealt with Lucifer which meant he hadn't witnessed much of the change until after it was done, leaving him to adjust. Then he had been once again absent to her leaving to find herself, finally talking with her sons and agreeing to join them on their search for Lucifer. But back then the angel had been too desperate and on edge to really pay attention. And in the end things had turned out good enough. 

But this time he’s not sure how it’ll go for him. Yes, the angel has overcome all those desperate feelings he’d had back then, but that doesn’t mean he can’t doubt himself or the situation. The boys know John better than Mary. There’s more to be forgiven on his end, the angel is aware of most things thanks to reading the man’s journal. He knows they have a lot to talk about before they can even start the hunt for Lucifer once again. 

Castiel knows there’s a good chance they’ll fix things, just like they did with Mary, but then what? How can Castiel just stand back and watch them put themselves in danger after they just got everything they’ve always wanted? It is definitely not fair that they have to sacrifice their happiness once again for the greater good. 

Out of all of them, Castiel feels the most expendable. Yes, he can fight, and he will fight with every single fiber of his being, but he knows he’s not a fundamental part of the family. With Jack alone the boys are more than safe. The angel trusts that the nephilim is good, just like his mother, and that he would protect the Winchesters with his life. They don’t need Castiel anymore, not as much as they used to. 

The angel took a few deep breaths, fearing of getting too lost in his thoughts. He cannot afford losing himself, not now. 

They arrived at the bunker at the beginnings of sunrise. The deep rumble of both cars slowly came to a stop, leaving the early bird’s songs to fill the air instead. The sky tinted with purples and oranges as the sun rose slowly, warming up the cold strands the night left behind. Castiel parked the old car outside while Dean drove the Impala to the garage. 

Rowena sighed dramatically as Castiel attatched a chain to the handcuffs around her wrists, pulling her out of the car into the bunker. There, he silently made a beeline towards the dungeon, ready to lock the witch down. 

They reached the old storage room and Castiel carefully bounded the witch to the single leather chair in the room, drawing extra protective sigils in the room just to be sure. The whole time Rowena kept sighing dramatically, rolling her eyes at the angel’s thoroughness before perking up at a new visitor. 

“Ah you must be the little nephilim” she said, smiling sweetly at him. 

“Castiel?” Jack asked, stepping forward into the room. 

The angel turned from his work on the far wall. “Jack!” In a few strides he was pulling the kid into his arms, hugging him tightly. Jack froze for a second before wrapping his arms around the angel, pressing the side of his face against his chest. 

“I missed you” the nephilim said, giving the angel one last squeeze before letting go. 

“I missed you, too” Castiel said, smiling softly at the kid. “I’m so sorry” 

“No, I’m sorry. I should’ve known it wasn’t you” 

“Aww you two are adorable” Rowena said from her place on the chair in the middle of the iron devil’s trap. “Who would’ve thought feathers here would turn out to be a descent father” 

The angel sighed, turning to give Rowena one last look before putting a hand on Jack’s back guiding him to the door. He reached forward, closing the heavy metal doors careful not to drop any paperwork from the shelves before turning off the lights and grabbing the door knob.

“Wait! Aren’t you gonna at least leave the lights on?” 

Castiel smirked before guiding Jack out of the room and stepping out, closing the door behind him. The lights remained off. 

“Who was that?” Jack asked. 

“Rowena. She’s a powerful witch” Castiel explained, walking down the hallway into the war room. The buker had an intricate hallway system, as he’d learned from his first time exploring the place where it’d taken him all night to truly walk down every single one. 

“A witch? Like in The Wizard of Oz?” Jack’s eyes were wide and oh so innocent it made something warm settle in Castiel’s chest. 

“Something like that. Though the real wicked witch was killed by Charlie a few years ago” 

“Who’s Charlie?” 

Castiel opened his mouth to answer but a loud noise interrupted him. The angel traced it back to the war room and with no hesitation rushed in its direction, Jack following close behind him. 

The sight that followed froze him in place. 

There stood the whole Winchester family in a tight embrace. Mary sobbed on John’s chest while the ex marine bit his lip in a futile attempt to keep his own tears at bay. Sam stood behind her, one arm wrapped around her shoulders while the other hung rather awkwardly on Dean’s back as the older brother struggled to get a firm grip on his family. The brother’s backs faced the angel, but judging by their shaking shoulders there wasn’t a single dry eye to be found in the room. 

The angel stared at them for a few seconds, his chest tightening with a simultaneously hot and cold feeling before leaving them to their privacy, Jack still following close behind him. 

“We should leave them be for a while” the angel said as soon as they reached what had became Jack’s room. They both stepped in, closing the door behind them. 

“Who was that?” Jack asked yet another question, sitting criss crossed on his bed. 

Castiel sighed, sitting on the bed’s edge facing Jack. “John Winchester. Their father.” 

The nephilim frowned. “But he’s dead” 

“He was” Castiel looked down. “Lucifer brought him back. To help” 

“To use him” Jack corrected. The angel nodded, once again admiring the kid’s understanding. 

“Yes” Castiel looked back up at the nephilim. “How are you holding up?” 

“I’m… fine”  
~~~

To say that the brothers were terrified would be an understatement. 

The drive to the bunker had been mostly silent except for the low rumble of the engine. None of them bothered with any cassette tapes since the silence wasn’t really awkward. It was heavy for sure, though, the elephant in the room glowing bright between them. The same thing repeating itself in their minds over and over again like some sort of mantra. 

_How will Mary react?_

When the thoughts become too much John clears his throat and makes a small comment regarding the excellent state of the Impala, prompting Dean to shift on his seat to mask the proud faint smile that crawled on his face while Sam replied with another brief comment about having to rebuild her a couple times before. 

Dean realizes that even after all these years he still looks for his father’s approval. 

When they arrive at the bunker the atmosphere becomes unbearably cold. Dean kills the engine and their breathing becomes the only sound apart from the distant rumbles of the machinery running through the bunker. 

They sit there, none of them dares to move an inch. Dean’s hands are still gripping the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. Sam is gripping the door handle with an equally strong grip, his eyes glued to the car door and the possibilities behind it. And John just sits there, fluttering in a dream-like state. His mind is clouded and he feels like he’s floating. For a second he swears he sees himself back in hell, strapped down to a metal table. 

Finally Sam clears his throat “I should go get mom”. He turns to Dean, then briefly back to John before returning to Dean. 

Dean shakes himself, nodding. “Yeah, yeah” his voice is quiet as he slowly lets go of the steering wheel. “We’ll be in the war room”. 

Sam nods back and finally opens the door, pulling himself out and into the bunker. 

The older hunter sighed and turned back to John. “Come on dad” He opened the door at the same time as John and they slowly made their way towards the bunker. 

“So you live here” John said as Dean opened the heavy metal door exposing the metal staircase that lead into the war room. He walked in and stopped dead in his tracks as he caught sight of the place. It was like going back to his childhood, an underground cave frozen in time. The old machinery reminding him of the old war movies he used to watch back when he was a kid struggling to get by without a father and-

The loud sound of the heavy door closing behind them drags him out of his thoughts. 

“Yeah. We’ve lived here for four, five years” Dean said, standing next to John. 

“What is this place?” John asked, his eyes still glued to the visual before him. 

“It’s an old men of letters bunker” Dean explained, motioning John to head down the stairs into what looked like the main room. 

“Men of letters?” 

Dean sighed. Should he tell him about Henry? The man who sacrificed himself for the brothers, leaving John behind? 

He decided to give the short explanation. Right now is not the moment for another deep, emotional revelation.

~~~

Sam hovered outside of Mary’s room trying to build up the courage and the words he would use. Then he remembered he din’t have much time so he just pushed himself to knock on the door. 

Mary answered rather quickly, her motherly instincts along with her hunter training allowed her a fast, lucid response to being woken up. 

“Sam? What is it, honey?” he asked, immediately noticing Sam’s tense posture as well as the deep lines across his forehead and around his eyes that only appeared when he was specially stressed about something. 

Sam gulped, staring at Mary as his mind went blank. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't push the words out, leaving him to stand awkwardly on the doorway looking completely lost. 

“Sam? Where’s Dean?” Mary asked, dread tightening her chest. 

“He- He’s in the war room” Sam said, his voice barely a whisper. He cleared his throat and blinked a couple times, trying to ground himself. 

“Sam what’s going on?” Mary asked, her voice soft and patient. She reached out and pressed her palm softly against the side of Sam’s face in a comforting manner. Clearly her younger son is disturbed by something and she needs to know what that is. 

“Mom” Sam said, looking into her eyes. The word came out as a prayer, a plead for something he couldn’t understand. Mary smiled softly and took one of his son’s hands in hers, the other hand still against the boy’s face, her thumb rubbing comforting circles against his cheekbone. 

“Mom” he said again, the whisper breaking into a hopeless cry. “Mom, dad’s back” 

Mary had heard many heart-wrenching sentences in her lifetime, but none of them resembled the absolute agony of those words leaving her son’s lips. Her son, who she didn’t get to see grow up and become the man he is now. Her son, who suffered a great deal throughout his life because of her. Her son, who is so strong and brave and is now standing before her on the verge of tears and all of a sudden he’s a baby again, just waking up from a nap, crying in his crib begging to be pulled into her arms. 

Suddenly the world is gone and it’s just Mary and that sentence repeating itself over and over again. _Mom, dad’s back_ and what does that even mean?

“Mom?” Sam asks and a tear slowly makes its way down his cheek. 

“John is alive?” she asks, disbelief all over her quiet voice. 

“Yes” Sam says, reaching up to wipe the rogue tear with the back of his hand. “He’s in the war room with Dean” _He’s waiting for you._ The unspoken words echoing through the empty space around them. 

And Mary doesn’t know what to do. She’s not the same person that married John all those years ago in that sunny August day. No, that Mary was just a mask, a facade. The real Mary was a hunter, a killer, and if he’d known who she really was he would’ve never married her. 

But she can’t bring herself to think too much of it as a wave of need washes over her and suddenly the only thing she can think of is seeing John alive and well again. And it’s exactly this thought that pulls her out of Sam’s space and practically drags her down the bunker’s hallways into the main room where her entire life was waiting for her. 

Not just the love of her life but her two sons, her boys, her heart. Right there in the same place at the same time. Her heart sobbed with need and want and all these feelings suddenly climaxing as she reaches the threshold and _he’s there and he’s alive_ and her mind goes blank. 

And when she comes back to her senses she’s holding on tight to his jacket and the oh so familiar scent of leather and fresh mint she has missed is all around her and it’s warm and safe and suddenly she’s finally home.


	20. Here. Home.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pure domestic bliss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's no reason whatsoever why this is the longest chapter so far other than i love domestic fluff in canonverse :)

Lucifer, the great adversary, sat in his safehouse waiting anxiously. He’s not sure how long it’s been since he killed dark Michael but it sure as hell has been way too long and so far there have been no foreseeable consequences. 

How could he be so careless?! He’s one of the most powerful beings in the universe yet he let his temper drag him into destroying whatever balance he’d been trying to salvage from his son’s little party trick. Any progress he’d let himself believe he was making was destroyed in a swift swing of his blade. 

Sure, he could easily sit back and wait for someone else to fix it, see if dear old daddy finally grows a pair and stands up for his creations, but that gets him nowhere. There’s no point in him sitting here, drinking and shaking his fist at the sky. No, he’s not _that_ immature. Besides, the old guy doesn’t even deserve to be mentioned at this point. Not when he’s clearly not going to put any efforts in cleaning up this mess. 

Now Lucifer has to sit here and wait for it. Not to mention that he’s also lost all the good kind-of-allies he had left. 

As much as he hates to admit it, he could’ve really used some sort of alliance with that witch and the Winchester bunch. Not that he would’ve turned to their side or anything, that’s just too much. No, it was all about his own survival. And getting his son back too. 

Now they’re most likely building their plan to throw him back to the cage instead of trying to save the universe because they loathe him that much. He doesn’t even get a ‘thank you’ for getting John topside. 

Allas, that’s what he gets for trying to play good and save the universe. What’s it worth, anyways? His Father clearly doesn’t care, so why should he? Lucifer, fallen archangel, ruler of Hell, he should be celebrating. Finally, his Father’s so called ‘perfect creations’ broke his precious little universe. 

The archangel sighed, leaning back on the leather couch and reaching for the remote while making another glass of golden whiskey appear in his hand. He’d spent so much time hating humans he’d never really stopped to appreciate their best creations such as alcohol and daytime T.V. 

But no matter how many distractions he submerges himself into, there’s this permanent anxiety eating him away. He’d expected the moon to crack as soon as he sunk the blade into Michael’s chest but not even God seemed to notice something was off. And to be honest, Lucifer would much rather have the Earth splitting in half than having to sit around and just wait. He’d done enough of that already during his stay in the cage. 

He shifted awkwardly on his seat, swallowing a big gulp of his drink. The devil winced at the slight burn in his throat, coughing loudly. Stupid humans. 

~~~

To say things were awkward would be an understatement. Sam had never felt so uncomfortable in his life, and he’s been possessed by Lucifer. 

As soon as they let go of eachother John had demanded an update on the last decade or so. He mentioned everything Castiel had told him and the boys filled in a few empty spaces left in their father’s mind. Still, they left out some gruesome details like Sam not looking for Dean and Cas in purgatory and Dean becoming a knight of hell thanks to the Mark of Cain. You know, the minor inconveniences that might just be a little too much for the ex-marine to handle all at once. 

When they got to the part where Henry came out of their closet things were tense. John had needed a minute to just breathe and let himself process the new information. But as most things he decided to lock it up and keep going. There was no time to feel sorry for himself and all the missed opportunities. 

Meanwhile Mary just kept staring at her husband as if he were to disappear at any moment. It was both like a dream and a nightmare come true. 

Still, the multiple elephants in the room remained unmentioned, struggling against one another trying to make themselves acknowledged as the family basked in the feeling of being reunited. No need to sour the moment by confronting each other. Not yet at least. 

When they got hungry Dean pulled some leftover pizza from the freezer as well as the last six pack of beer. He silently thanked himself for buying more than necessary on his last supply run, enjoying the tingle of the cold liquid running down his throat, soothing his all-too tense body. They all ate in silence except for whoever’s turn it was for speaking, continuing the epic storytelling of the last most troublesome years of their lives. 

They’d barely covered up to Mary’s resurrection when a wave of exhaustion startled the little family. It had been an awful long day and now that they’d finally sat down and allowed themselves to relax as much as possible it was starting to sink in. Dean made an offhand comment of going to check in with Cas and Jack before going to bed and quickly excused himself, shuffling out of the war room. Sam followed suit, throwing Mary a subtle look to make sure she was truly ok with it before making his way to his own room. 

Mary sighed, turning to John. 

“I’m guessing you’re pretty tired too” she said, smiling softly. 

“Yeah… it’s been a long week” John huffed out a laugh, still finding it hard to believe how fast this was all happening. 

And so Mary guided her husband through the long hallways into her own room, right next to Sam’s. She turned on the only light in the room exposing her single bed, a mostly empty desk and an old couch. It almost didn’t look like someone actually slept there, but she hadn’t really had time to settle in and decorate. 

“I can take the couch” she said, turning to John “I’ve been getting enough sleep lately and it looks like you could really use some” 

“No” John said, making his way to the couch. “I’ll be fine here. Believe me, i’ve slept in worse places” 

Mary nodded awkwardly, deciding not to argue. The ghost behind John’s statement compelling Mary to turn to her desk where John’s journal laid closed next to some newspaper articles she’d been reading. 

“Is that mine?” John said, following Mary’s line of sight. 

Mary sighed. “Yes” 

“Have you read it?” John cleared his throat feeling a knot forming there. 

Mary’s silence said it all. She grimaced and reached into her closet, silently handing John her spare blanket and a pillow. Thankfully the bunker had a heating system so the underground closed-off concrete building didn’t get too cold at night.

There was a soft knock on the door. 

“Come in” Mary said as she sat on the edge of her bed. 

Sam walked in awkwardly holding a pair of sweatpants and a cotton t-shirt. 

“Hey” he said, shifting awkwardly in the doorway “I um thought you’d need these” he said, handing the clothes to John. “We can take you shopping tomorrow for supplies and stuff” 

John stood up from the couch and took the soft makeshift pijamas from Sam, smiling softly. “Thank you son”. 

Sam nodded, smiling back awkwardly. “Well, goodnight dad. Goodnight mom” he turned briefly to Mary before looking down and excusing himself from the room. 

Mary pointed John to the bunker’s bathroom and the ex-marine followed. He quickly changed into his clothes and washed up a bit. By the time he came back Mary was already in her pajamas, sitting comfortably on her bed while checking something on her phone. 

“Is that a cell phone?” John asked, pointing at the bright screen. 

“Yeah” Mary said, shifting her eyes briefly to John’s before returning to the screen “Technology is amazing” 

“Tell me about it. I’ve only been gone for a decade and suddenly T.V. screens are flat” 

Mary smiled, finishing to read a text from Jody before typing out a quick response and turning off her phone. 

Both Winchesters sat in silence as John settled on the couch and Mary leaned over to turn off the lights. 

“Goodnight, John” 

“Goodnight, Mary” 

~~~

Mary has always been an early riser, usually waking up around the same time every day no matter at what time she went to bed the night before. Today wasn’t an exception as she calmly woke up and a couple minutes later Sam’s alarm clock screamed next door. 

“What is that?” a gruff voice complained from the other side of the little room. 

“Sam’s alarm” She said as more shuffling could be heard “He’s getting ready for his morning jog” 

“Morning jog?” John jawned and stretch, basking on the feeling of waking up and not being immediately shaken by a potential threat. 

“He takes care of himself” Mary sat up from her bed, stretching her arms at her sides while John sat awkwardly on the couch rubbing his eyes. 

After an awkward run to the bathroom both John and Mary sat in her room. John had reached over for his journal and was now scrolling through it while Mary checked something on her phone. 

“I can’t believe Dean actually kept this” John said, flipping through his old notes. “He also added some stuff too” he took one of the pictures tucked in. There were some armed men standing in front of a sign that read ‘Camp Chitaqua’. Among these men he recognized Bobby Singer and Castiel. He made a mental note to ask Dean about this later. 

“Actually it was Sam who gave it to me. I think he was the one holding on to it” 

“Huh” was all John said as he got lost in his thoughts for the next hour. He kept scrolling through his journal, tracing his fingers over desperate ink scratches and old crumpled pictures. 

He was interrupted by more shuffling coming from the hallways. 

“Looks like Dean’s up” Mary commented as she stood from her place on the bed and headed towards the door. “We should go get breakfast”

John nodded and followed out of her room into the long hallway. He looked around at the numerous rooms, all of them marked by numbers. As they reached the end of a particularly narrow hallway they started to hear faint voices. 

“Look at that! No eggshells! Buddy you’re doing great” Dean’s voice echoed through the tile walls. 

“What’s next?” a young voice John didn’t recognized said. 

“Milk. Hey Cas, can you pass me that cup?” 

John and Mary reached the kitchen just in time to see the angel give Dean a red mug.

“Thanks, man. Think you can help Jack with the batter? I need to start with the bacon before Sam gets out of the shower and- oh hey” Dean interrupted himself as he saw his parents standing by the doorway. 

“Morning boys” Mary said as she walked inside, heading to the table in the corner. 

John followed behind her, looking around the kitchen. “Morning” 

“Morning” Dean responded. He hadn’t expected both of his parents checking in so early and he thanked all the Gods he could think of that he actually woke up early and had time to shower. It would certainly be more awkward if he was standing in his dead guy robe in front of his dad. He already looks like a housewife bossing around the kitchen. “Breakfast will be ready soon” 

“I didn’t know you could cook” John raised his eyebrows, impressed. 

Dean shrugged nonchalantly. “One can’t live off of greasy diner food alone” He turned to the old stove and started to fry the bacon. 

“The batter’s ready, Dean” Jack said, smiling proudly. He gave Dean the bowl and made his way towards the table in the corner, sitting next to Mary. He looked at John and smiled, thrusting his arm towards him like they did in the movies. “Hello, I’m Jack. Nice to meet you Mr. Winchester, John, sir”

John stared at the kid’s hand, frowning. Mary cleared her throat and shot John a look. The ex-marine reluctantly reached over and shook the kid’s hand. “Just call me John” 

Jack nodded enthusiastically before turning to smile at Mary. Mary smiled back warmly at him, rubbing his arm in an encouraging gesture. 

“I see you’re becoming quite the cook yourself” she said. 

“I am! I asked Dean about cake and he said he would teach me to bake one soon too!” 

Dean watched from the other side of the kitchen as Jack explained the plot of some new movie Sam had shown him recently. His eyes shifted from John to Mary and it was like his brain couldn’t process the fact that they were both together in the same room after such long, painful years without-

“Dean, the bacon’s burning” Cas’ gruff voice pulled him from his thoughts. 

“Shit” Dean murmured under his breath as he quickly got the pan out of the fire. Guess their bacon is gonna be a little bit crispy. 

“Dean” Cas said, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Thanks Cas” Dean said, clearing his throat and starting to make the pancakes. 

Just then Sam walked into the kitchen, his long hair dripping over his shoulders. 

“Morning guys” he said. After a long run and equally long shower he’d found himself full of energy and optimism. He’d normally try to suppress it, not wanting it to be utterly crushed eventually, but today he decided to roll with it since the universe seems to be rewarding them lately. 

A chorus of _morning_ ’s greeted him. He looked around the kitchen, smiling to see his whole family together for the first time, before frowning. “We should move back to the war room. Y’know, somewhere less crowded” 

And so Sam, Jack, John and Mary made their way out of the kitchen into the war room, settling on the map table.

Meanwhile Cas and Dean stayed in the kitchen to finish making breakfast. They stood silent for the first few minutes, working smoothly as always. Dean would repeat the cycle of pouring the batter in the pan and flipping the pancakes while Castiel made coffee and worked on another round of bacon. 

The angel had shed his coats and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. He didn’t want to dirty his clothes, even when he could easily clean them up with a snap of his fingers. He didn’t feel comfortable exploiting his grace and taking it for granted like that. At least that’s what he told himself. 

Castiel turned to Dean and his heart felt constricted in his chest. He couldn’t imagine the things that must be running through the man’s mind, with both his parents alive and present. And he knows that he need to give him space since Dean isn’t particularly keen to talking about emotions and feelings. Sure, he’s trusted Castiel many times before to talk about these things, but this is the true root of most of the man’s problems. As much as the angel wants to help Dean be open about what he truly feels, he knows it isn’t his place. The man needs to talk to his parents first. 

Which is why, with a heavy sigh, Castiel breaks the silence. “I could take Jack somewhere for a couple days” 

Dean almost drops the bowl, barely catching it with his pinky finger. “What?”

“We wouldn’t go too far” Castiel continued. “And we would be back by friday”

“Why do you want to leave?” Dean’s voice comes out rougher than he’d planned.

“I don’t _want_ to leave, but you and Sam could really use the time to-”

“No” Dean interrupted him, setting the bowl on the counter with a loud ‘clank’ and turning his full attention to the angel. They kept eye contact for a couple seconds. Castiel frowned slightly at Dean’s obvious anger, not expecting the hunter to actually let himself feel this. 

“I don’t want us to be a burden to you, that’s all” Castiel finally said, not breaking eye contact.

“Cas” Dean sighed heavily, ghosting a hand over his face “It’s not about that. You and the kid, you’re not burdens, you’re family ok? And family stays together. Here” the hunter looked down, fidgeting in his place. Then he remembered the pancakes and turned just in time to manage to flip the last one without completely ruining it. 

“I just… it’s all too much to soon and i don’t- i can’t worry about you two being out there while we are in here and Lucifer-” the knot in his throat tightened and the hunter was forced to stop talking. 

Dean took a couple deep breaths to steady himself while Castiel waited patiently, his frown now turned into a concerned eye squint and he once again laid a hand on Dean’s shoulder trying to comfort him as much as possible without having him close off completely once again. 

“I need you two to stay here and help me with this” he finally said, meeting the angel’s eyes once again. “I can’t do this without you”. Castiel squeezed his arm softly, reassuringly. “Besides, Jack seems to have a bright future in the culinary arts if i do say so myself. I still need to teach him a couple things but kid’s looking good” 

Castiel smiled at this, Dean following soon after. They both stood there, smiling at each other until they were interrupted by someone clearing their throat quite loudly. 

“We’re getting hungry back there” Sam said, throwing Dean a knowing smirk. 

Dean rolled his eyes, reaching for a plate holding a giant tower of pancakes. He thrusted it unto Sam, ignoring his brother’s teasing. “Shut up and help us take all this”

Together the three men made their way into the war room carrying what Dean would call ‘The Best Breakfast Feast That’s Ever Been Served Inside This Bunker’. 

Within seconds the room was full of the sound of forks crashing against plates, syrup being poured and bacon crunching between teeth. Castiel served cups of his infamous coffee and just sat back, watching the other humans enjoy their food. 

“What? Angels don’t eat or something?” John asked before swallowing a mouthful of bacon. 

“No, i don’t need to” Cas answered, looking longingly at the pile of pancakes that sat in the middle of the table. 

“Try some? Maybe it won’t taste like molecules that much” Dean suggested, thrusting his own plate at the angel. 

“Dean, i-”

“Please, Castiel? They are very delicious” Jack said over a mouthful of pancake and syrup. 

The angel sighed, no matter how much he protested he couldn’t say no to the nephilim. He took Dean’s plate and fork and hesitantly took a bite from the syrupy pancakes. After a couple chews he found out it wasn’t really too bad, the sucrose molecules weren’t as strong as others and he could actually tase a faint sweetness in it. He hummed in contentment, making Dean and Jack’s faces break into happy grins. 

“So?” Dean asked, wanting to hear the angel’s review. 

“It’s not too overwhelming, i like it” Castiel said, taking one last bite before returning the plate to Dean. 

“Told you so” Dean said, his grin growing wider. 

John, Mary and Sam just stared at the other three in amusement. 

The rest of the meal was spent with quiet comments here and there on how good the food was. They were cleaning up everything when suddenly the bunker’s lights began flickering. 

“Oh what now?!” Dean asked, exasperatedly. 

The lights flickered for a couple seconds before going out completely, leaving the whole bunker in complete darkness. Both Mary and Sam immediately reached for their phones, lighting up the room a bit.

“Boys? What is this?” John asked, reaching for his pocket knife. 

“I don’t know, this has never happened before” Sam said. “I’ll go check the electrical” he gripped his phone tight and made his way out of the room.

“I’ll go with you” Jack said, following behind him. 

“Are you sure we shouldn’t be getting our guns or something?” John asked, eyeing the swords displayed on top of one of the bookshelves. 

“This place is warded against all kinds of stuff, except angels of course but Cas would know if one was nearby right, buddy?” Dean asked, elbowing the angel standing next to him.

“Of course” Castiel said looking down before adding hesitantly “Though i must say there’s something off”

“Something off?” Mary asked, looking up at the angel. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know” Cas said, frowning. “It’s like something’s missing”

“Missing from where?” John asked, stepping in. 

“I’m not sure, but it’s something mild. Otherwise there would be a discussion in angel radio but so far they’ve stayed silent” Castiel reassured them. 

They stood there in silence, waiting awkwardly. 

Dean sighed. “Cas can you mojo some candles or something? I don’t like standing in the dark” 

The angel rolled his eyes, closing his eyes and concentrating a portion of his grace on his hand, making his palm glow a bluish light. 

“Thanks” Dean said, shifting awkwardly in his place. “I should’ve gone with them, Sam barely knows how to use a screwdriver and Jack can bury us alive with a sneeze”

“I’m sure they’re both capable-” Castiel cut himself off with a loud groan. He reached up to hold his head between his hands as the lights in the bunker flickered once again.

“Cas?”


	21. Wavelengths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The universe breaks, and the Winchesters are told to fix it. Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only a couple chapters left oh my chuck.

Lucifer sat on a vibrating recliner he’d conjured a couple hours ago, enjoying a movie that somehow involved both cowboys and aliens. He held some kind of sweet alcoholic beverage on one hand, a T.V. remote on the other. His feet were carelessly porpped up on a glass coffee table, not minding the cracks that had formed from his seemingly uncontrollable strength from all the stress he’s been exposed to lately. 

He doesn’t know how, or why, but it seemed like submerging himself in these weird human things sparked up something warm and, dare he say, joyful, inside him. The devil doesn’t know what that is, exactly, but he likes it. And so he’s going to enjoy it for as long as he can. 

Angel radio, as always, was filled with useless murmurs about orders being followed and tasks being completed. Boring, boring boring. Not even a slight hint of the inevitable collapse that’s soon to unfold. Saying it disappointed the archangel would be an understatement, doing nothing more than feeding the vibrations of fear and uncertainty that danced throughout his being like a drunk guy trying to impress the ladies with his moves. 

The movie was starting to get interesting (those aliens were mopping the floor with cowboy guts, how fun) when suddenly something didn’t seem right. Lucifer pressed the soles of his shoes to the ground, turning off the T.V. and making both the remote and his drink disappear. Free of distractions the archangel closed his eyes and concentrated in the wavelengths of energy that danced harmoniously throughout the universe. 

One by one the archangel examined each and every single wave until he finally found a slight stutter in one. 

To say this little stutter was unusual would be an understatement. Last time something like this happened aunty Amara was freed into the world. Wavelengths work in synchronized movements, tying the strings that keep the universe together. Only a few beings can alter the course of these wavelengths, not even Lucifer himself can mess with them. Yet here it is, a slight bump in one of them. Like a zit on a teenager’s forehead. So small yet devastating. 

Seconds went by and Lucifer started detecting electrical failures all around him. The string kept falting microscopically, almost like the slight telluric movements happening right under his feet in the tectonic plates. So small and imperceptible but there, slowly but surely changing the physical form of the Earth. Electrons all around the universe stopping their movements, cutting electrical power at a seemingly random rate. 

The barely there murmurs in angel radio slowly increased. The first few confused comments evolved into concern, alarm and, finally, panic. The one wavelength suddenly became two, then six, then a thousand. They all followed a domino effect of slight stutters affecting their harmonic rhythm and tensing the fine strings in the well-knit universe. 

And suddenly, with the power of a thousand supernovas, the doors opened. 

Every single sacred place on Earth was a doorway to another world, being that the strings knit together weren’t as close together as others. And all at once they opened and broke the barriers between universes, undoing the knots and exposing the frail balance that held it all in place. 

~~~

Castiel held his head between his hands, doubling over the map table. Dean rushed to his side, placing a concerned hand on his elbow. Mary and John stood by his other side, keeping a respectful distance between them. 

“Cas? Angel radio?” Dean asked, supporting part of the angel’s weight to keep his knees from giving out under him. 

The angel nodded, grinding his teeth together to keep painful noises down his throat. He instead concentrate on the voices, trying to separate them from each other to form coherent sentences. 

The lights in the bunker flicker for the last time before lowering and changing from a warm yellow to bright red. Alarms start to go off and the map table starts to light up. Dean feels a strong sense of dread as he remembers the last time those tiny dots lit up one by one in different parts of the map. 

Dean looked up at his parents with wide eyes. “Turn that off!” he said, pointing at the control panel behind them. 

John and Mary rush over, looking through the different buttons and labels, pressing whatever looked promising until they managed to turn the alarm off, returning the lights to normal before they flickered again and left them back in pitch black darkness for a few seconds longer. 

Meanwhile in the electrical room Jack kneeled on the ground breathing deeply while a concerned Sam held him tightly to his side. The hunter was impressed with how well he was handling the situation in comparison to the last time in that police station. Jack concentrated on the voices, ignoring the painful ache that took over his grace and squished his soul. 

“Want me to take you with Cas?” Sam asked, already slipping his arms under the nephilim to hoist him up bridal style. 

Jack nodded weakly and Sam made his way back into the war room carefully, trying not to trip in the dark since he could no longer hold his phone out to see. 

When they arrive they were met with the scene they’d been expecting. The lights came back, and they were all bathed in warm yellowish light once again. 

Sam lowers Jack right next to Castiel, who reaches out to squeeze Jack’s shoulder in quiet comfort, still trying to concentrate on the voices. 

Seconds seem to last hours and the angel and both Jack and Cas remain in the same positions, leaning into each other while squeezing their eyes shut in concentration. Dean remains by Cas’ side, holding him up while Sam decided to step back slightly, giving them some space. He doesn’t want them to feel too uncomfortably crowded. 

Finally they let out sighs of relief, blinking rapidly. Jack frowns in confusion while Castiel just stands there in shock, breathing heavily. 

“Cas?” Dean asked, squeezing Cas’ arm to get his attention. The angel lifts his gaze up to him, blinking once before tensing up, shifting into battle mode. 

The sudden change in the angel’s demeanor startled Dean, making him automatically adopt the same stance. 

“There was a disturbance in the wavelengths” the angle finally says, his voice gruff and deeper than usual, if possible. “The universe’s electrical energy seems to be faulting in what seems to be random patterns.”

“And what are the things on the map?” Mary asked, leaning over the table and staring at all the little yellow dots. 

“They’re doors” Jack answered, looking up with wide eyes just like Castiel’s. “To other worlds. Like the ones i opened. Except this opened by themselves”

“They are all located in sacred lands, where the universe’s walls are thin” Castiel continues, turning to Dean. “There’s thousands of them, all over the Earth” 

“Crap” Sam said, letting himself fall on one of the chairs looking completely dumbstruck. “Crap”

“How are we supposed to fix this?” asked Mary, still looking down at the dots. 

“Now _that_ is a damn good question” 

The voice came from the landing by the front door. The Winchesters slowly turned their heads to reveal a tall woman dressed completely in black, holding a scythe. Her red lips curved into a self-satisfied smirk as her leather trenchcoated shoulders relaxed, mocking the tension in the room. 

“Billie?” Mary asked, her eyebrows nearly reaching her hairline. 

“Who?” John asked from behind her, his hand brushing the gun in his waistband. 

Billie slowly and dramatically stepped down the stairs, looking down while her smirk grew impossibly sharper. 

“John Winchester” Billie walked up to the hunter, standing a feet away from him. Both Sam and Dean held their breath while Mary just looked up at her expectantly. “Pleasure to meet you. I’m Death” she extended one of her gloved hands towards him. 

John stared down at it, then back up at her. She was tall, standing at eye level with the ex-marine. Her eyes were strong, daring and the seemingly permanent smirk on her lips gave her a strong presence, exactly how you would expect a strong cosmic entity to hold itself. But her warm skin and delicate features weren’t exactly how John had imagined death would look like. 

“D-death?” John stuttered. This might be the first time the boys have heard their father’s voice not be firm and demanding as usual. 

“That’s right” Billie said, her smirk changing into something warmer, much more friendly. John hesitantly reached up and shook her gloved hand, not surprised by the firm grip. 

“Are you here to help us?” Jack’s voice broke through the tension like a splash of cold water on a sunny day. 

Death stared at the nephilim for a long time, making Castiel put a protective hand on the kid’s shoulder. He shot a slight glare at her and she raised an eyebrow, completely unimpressed. 

“Help? Nah” she said, turning to Dean. “I’m here to tell you what to do” 

Dean’s eyes grew wider, if possible, remembering his last exchange with Billie. She’d said they were useful, and she needed them alive. Did she knew, back then, that all this would happen? 

“I knew” she said, answering his silent question. “Though not in detail” 

“What?” Sam asked. 

“That’s between me and dear old Dean, Sam” Billie said, walking to the other side of the table. “Now, this” she pointed at the dots on the map “There’s only one way to close the doors without disrupting the balance” 

“How?” Castiel asked, still on war mode more than ever. 

“A spell” Billie said. “In the tablets, the word of God, there are two spells to both open and close a portal to another world. Though those only work for a single one. But if you combine the power of both, you get enough energy to string the wavelengths back in place”

“We have the demon tablet” Sam said, standing from the chair he’d haphazardly thrown himself into. “I can go get Donatello to translate it or-”

“Or” Billie cut him off. “I can give you the spells and save you the trouble” 

“You know the spells” Castiel said, his eyes glowing with hope. 

“Not only that, but i know how to combine them. Turns out you don’t really need the exact ingredients God said. He was just being picky” Death smirked, reaching into his leather coat and getting a white envelope, giving it to John. 

The ex-marine frowned at her, taking said envelope hesitantly. 

“And you” she said to him. “I’ve talked about how much i hate the Winchesters and their ability to avoid death over and over again” she stepped closer to him, keeping intense eye contact. “Consider this second chance a gift, because believe me it won’t happen again” 

John’s eyes widened, and he nodded tensely. Satisfied, Billie looked around the room one last time before setting her eyes on Castiel. 

“By the way” she said, smirking at the angel. “Lucifer is still in his safe house” 

And with that Death gripped her scythe tight and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The group stayed silent for a few seconds, trying to process what had just happened. 

“Dad, give me that” Dean said, his voice quiet yet firm. 

John looked down at the envelope he held tightly between his thumb and his index, the paper a bright white color that contrasted against the soft yellow lighting in the bunker. He considered opening the envelope and reading the ingredients himself, but he truly had no experience in this kind of things. He also remembered Dean’s comment in the abandoned parking lot a couple days ago. With an internal sigh he complied, extending his arm across the table.

Dean grabbed the envelope and opened it with Castiel and Sam looking over his shoulders. 

“We have most of the stuff here” Dean said “From what i understand we have everything except for the ashes of a burnt church. The rest is in enochian so, Cas” he thrusted the paper towards the angel who nearly ripped the hunter’s hand by taking it. 

“Blood from a youth wronged by heaven” Castiel read out loud. “Feathers of a guardian of the holy throne and a weapon touched by God”

“I’ll go get the ones we have here” Dean said. “Mom, can you get root of angelica and holy oil from 2B?” he said as he walked towards the library. 

Mary nodded, heading off into the bunker. 

“A church was struck by lighting a few towns over” Sam said, hopeful. “I can get the ashes and be back in a couple hours”

“No, i think i can take us” Jack said confidently. 

“Are you sure?” Castiel asked, glancing at Jack’s wings behind him. 

“Yes” Jack stood up straight, stretching his wings behind him. Sam and John shared a confused look as Castiel reached out to the air behind the nephilim. “I’ve never done it with anyone else, but i know i can do it” 

Castiel looked back at him, nodding. “We should figure out the rest of the ingredients first” 

“A weapon touched by God, that would be an angel blade, right?” Sam asked, leaning against the table in concentration. 

“Yes” Castiel agreed. “Feathers of a guardian of the holy throne. I used to be one, when i was first created” 

“Wow, really?” Sam looked up at the angel in awe. “Once this is all over you better tell us that story. Dean’s gonna shit himself” 

Castiel smiled faintly. “It was nothing eventful, though i must say it was quite an honor to have been selected from the start”

“You’re a big deal upstairs, aren’t you?” John chimed in. He was now sitting on one of the chairs, elbows planted on the table covering a couple dots in the map. 

“Not anymore” Castiel said. 

And before John could ask more, Dean came rushing in. His arms were full of jars and other things and as soon as he reached the table he dropped all the ingredients, earning himself a glare from both Sam and Castiel. The hunter shrugged, arranging all the ingredients. 

“Well i got all we had here. How’s the rest of them looking?” 

“Jack is going to take me to get the ashes” Sam said, turning to the kid. “Cas has the feathers, the weapon is an angel blade and we’re just missing two” 

“Blood from a youth wronged by heaven” Castiel reminded them. “And archangel grace”

“Wrong by heaven? There’s plenty of those” Dean said, deciding to focus on the less impossible one.

“Yeah but Billie gave this to us for a reason. We must know this person” Sam said, thoughtfully. 

“A youth? Jack?” John asked, looking at the nephilim. 

“Well, technically he hasn’t been wronged by heaven” Castiel said, frowning. 

“What other youth do we know that’s been involved with heaven?” Dean asked, sitting on a chair and propping his feet up on the table, careful not to knock off any supplies. 

At that moment Mary came in holding a couple jars. “Sorry, i couldn’t find them. Seriously, those assholes have way too complicated systems” she set them on the table and sat next to Dean, propping her feet on the table as well. 

In the background, John smiled softly at the sight. Those two were too alike.

Suddenly it all clicked into place for the angel. “Claire” 

“Claire? Why- oh” Was all Dean said once he noticed the remorseful look on the angel’s face. “I’ll call her” 

The older brother reached in his pocket for his phone, looking for Claire in his contacts list. 

“We should go get those ashes” Sam said, grabbing Jack’s shoulder. 

“Be careful” Castiel said before Jack nodded and disappeared along Sam in a flutter of wings. 

“Claire, hey, how’s it going?” Dean asked, smiling softly. “Listen, we need your help” 

“I’ll go get the weapon” Castiel said, excusing himself from the room while Dean talked with Claire. 

The angel reached one of the storage rooms they’d dedicated to house all kinds of weapons. They had a specific box at the back where they stored all the angel blades they’d collected over the years. Castiel tried to avoid it as much as he could since every single blade represented his deceased brethren. With just a glance at the hilt he knew who the blade belonged to, what their rank was, how many had been killed by them, and many other things. It always brought a sinking feeling on his stomach, realizing how violent his kind is. 

He closed his eyes and grabbed a blade. When he opened them he knew. The angel was named Nathaniel. He had been a seraph, just like Castiel, but from a different choir. 5th choir, a soldier or Raphael’s garrison. The angel sighed, gripping the blade tight before heading back to the war room. 

When he got back he saw Sam already in the room holding a glass vial full of dark powder, the church ashes. 

“Where’s Jack?” Castiel asked, noticing his absence right away. He dropped the blade alongside the other ingredients, silently thanking Nathaniel for his sacrifice. 

“He’s picking Claire up” Dean said, leaning back on his chair. 

“Alone?” 

“Relax, man. He’s a responsible kid, they’ll be here soon” Dean said, shrugging. 

Castiel sighed, knowing Dean was right but still couldn’t help himself with being worried about Jack. 

“We still need the archangel grace” Sam said, sighing. 

“And the spell has to be performed in holy grounds” Castiel added. 

“Should we get Rowena to do it for us?” Mary asked. 

“It might be helpful to have an experienced witch perform it, yes” the angel said hesitantly. As much as he didn’t like Rowena, she would be useful to them. 

Just then Jack appeared back in the room, dragging a distressed-looking Claire. 

“I know, angel express sucks” Dean said, standing up from his seat and hugging Claire, who just laughed nervously. 

“Of course you’d hate it just as much, Hasselhoff” Claire smirked, releasing Dean from her arms. 

“Hey Claire” Sam said, stepping in to hug the young huntress. 

“Hey Sam” she looked up at him and smirked “Wow is your hair even longer than the last time i saw you? Next time it’ll be longer than mine, Sampunzel” 

Dean snorted, making Sam roll his eyes. “Shut up” he replied, smiling softly. 

Castiel shifted awkwardly in his place, looking sheepishly at the teen. “Hello Claire” 

Claire rolled her eyes, pulling him into a tight hug. The angel froze in place, not expecting it. 

“Hug me back you dumbass” Claire said, making the brothers chuckle. Castiel smiled slightly at this, wrapping his arms around her in a warm hug. A couple seconds later they pulled back. 

“So, Claire” Dean said, taking the lead in the introductions. “I take it you already met Jack” he said, pointing at the nephilim. 

Jack waved awkwardly at Claire, who returned the wave just as awkward. 

“And these” he continued, pointing at the two figures sitting by the map. “Are our parents. John and Mary Winchester” 

“Wait” Claire said, turning to him. “Your dad’s back? Jody told me about Mary but…”

“It’s new” said Sam from behind them. “He’s only been back for a few days” 

“Oh” Claire said, turning to them. “Oh” 

She walked forward, shaking both their hands. “Nice to meet you” she said, though her voice turned sour when she reached John. 

“Claire…” Castiel said, his voice awfully quiet. 

“Don’t” she snarled at him “Let’s just get this over with” 

“Yeah, about that” Dean said. “We need one more thing”


	22. Get The Gang Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Preparations start for the big battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long but i've been having a shitty couple of weeks and stuff but i'm back! Y'all can't get rid of me that easily!
> 
> Hope you enjoy this shorter-than-usual and get ready for the shitstorm that is next chapter dshfsijdf

Rowena sighed, undoing the braid she’d busied herself with for the past few minutes. She’d been chained in the Winchester’s kinky dungeon for way too long, and she was starting to run out of things to do. Those giants didn’t even have the decency to leave a light on, leaving her alone in the dark with her own thoughts. And if that wasn’t enough they’d chained her down so she couldn’t even stretch her legs. How rude. 

She’d been playing with her hair since, and if the lights were on and she had access to a mirror she’d regret it. Her long red locks could serve as a lovely nest for tiny orphan baby birds. But there really was no other way for her to pass the time. Sure, she’s hundreds of years old and a witch, she’s used to being captured and forced to wait for long periods of time but these are the Winchesters. She’s not sure she wants them to come get her out. 

Suddenly she’s startled out of her thoughts when the distant sound of heavy footsteps grows louder and louder. She quickly reaches up to fix her hair as much as her hands will allow and shifts in her seat. The witch takes a deep breath and paints her usual smirk on her face just in time for the doors to open, bathing her in warm yellowish light. 

“Hello boys” she says, squinting at the three silhouettes in front of her. 

“Rowena” she recognizes Dean’s gruff voice “Today’s your lucky day” 

“You gonna put these chains to a better use?” she asked, biting her bottom lip mockingly. Her smirk grew wider at his very visible shudder. 

“You’re going to help us take on Lucifer” Castiel said, standing next to Dean. 

The smirk disappeared from her face, replaced by an annoyed frown. “Bollocks” 

“We need part of his grace for a spell that you’re also going to perform for us” Sam said, leaning against the wall. “Think you can power him down like you did before?”

“Of course i can” Rowena said, leaning back on the chair making the chains rattle around her. 

“Great. Let’s go then” Dean said, undoing the lock holding the chains in place on the floor. 

“Wait a second, big boy” the witch looked up at all three men “I said i could do it, never said i would” 

“What makes you think we’re giving you an option here?” said Sam, returning the smirk. 

“Something tells me you really want this wee little spell done and from your shining reputation i’m willing to bet there’s not many witches out there waiting eagerly to work for you lads. So, if you want me to do this, i expect my complete freedom in return” 

“You have no idea of what’s going on out there, do you?” Castiel asked, stepping forward. 

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, feathers, but i’ve been a little busy” 

“There has been an alteration of the wavelengths” Castiel explained, looking down at the witch. “Every single sacred place on Earth has been compromised. We don’t have much time before the universe collapses”

Rowena’s eyes went comically wide. If it weren’t for the seriousness of the situation, Dean would’ve laughed at her. 

“So” Sam said, pulling on one of the chains connected to the handcuffs around her wrists. “Are you in?”

Ten minutes later they were all settled in the war room. 

Claire kept eyeing Rowena curiously since she’d never really dealt with a witch before, much less one as powerful and old as her. Castiel stood close to her, just the right distance for her not to be annoyed but enough for him to be able to jump into action if needed. The rest of the Winchesters leaned over the map table, scanning the little red dots over the numerous spell ingredients. 

“How the hell are we supposed to track the devil?” John asked, his frustration reaching dangerous levels. 

“Billie said he was still in his safehouse” Castiel said, frowning. “Though he never allowed me to perceive its location” 

“Wait” Dean said, standing up straight. “The tracking spell” 

Sam’s eyes went wide in acknowledgement, nodding at his brother.

“What tracking spell?” Castiel asked, confused. 

“When you were missing” Sam explained “We used one of your feathers for a tracking spell” 

“One of my…?” Castiel’s frown deepened, and his eyes shifted from Sam’s to Jack’s only to stop at Dean’s. “Oh” 

Dean cleared his throat. “Yeah it said you were in Lawrence… here” he reached into his pocket, taking out the wrinkled map piece, handing it to the angel. 

Castiel studied the paper for a couple seconds before nodding. “I know where he is” 

“Now how are we going to take his grace?” Mary asked.

“Rowena” Sam said, turning to her. “What can you do?”

“I can do a quick binding spell, i’m sure you have all the ingredients i need here. It won’t last long but it should be enough”

“How long is ‘enough’?” Dean asked. 

“A couple minutes. Maybe” Rowena said, shrugging. “I could do some Book of the Damned magic but the universe is suffering enough already”

“Crap” Sam sighed, rubbing his temples. 

“If it doesn’t work” Jack said, surveying the room cautiously. “I could step in” 

“No” Castiel said, placing a heavy hand on the boy’s forearm. “I won’t let you go anywhere near Lucifer” 

“Castiel” Jack said, worrying his bottom lip with his top teeth before croaking out. “Father” he noticed the immediate change in the angel’s stance, some of the tension seeping out and being replaced by warmth. “We need Lucifer’s grace. I can do this” 

They both shared a couple seconds of silent conversation. Finally, Castiel sighed but before he could say anything out loud Dean cut him off. 

“You’re not actually considering this, are you?” he asked. The hunter had his arms crossed over his chest in protest, clearly not on board with the idea. Sam, on the other hand, stood with a little smile on his face, happy that the nephilim was ready to overcome one of his biggest fears for the greater good. 

“Dean” Castiel turned to the older brother. Mary, John and Claire were left to just stand in the background, trying to follow all the silent conversations happening all at once between the four men. They’d expected the angel to go off on a rant about trust and greater good but they got yet another staring contest. 

Claire rolled her eyes. This was too sappy for her. Is this how they save the world? Longing stares, sacrifices, personal growth? Maybe God is a big fan of soap operas, maybe the universe just revolves around pesky little feelings, maybe it doesn’t even matter. Whatever it is, they don’t have the time for it. 

“Guys gentle reminder that the universe is breaking and stuff” she said, pulling them back from whatever was going on. 

“Fine, whatever” Dean said, turning to Jack. “We’re putting a ridiculous amount of trust in you, kid”

“I won’t fail you” Jack said, he stood and frowned in determination and for a second Dean could’ve sworn he was looking at Castiel. 

~~~

With a simple flutter of wings they were all standing outside of a white mansion. The minimalist decor expressed in simple square windows and the bold, black front door wasn't exactly what Sam expected from the devil himself. Though, to be fair, he didn't even know what to expect. Last time they’d stepped into an angelic lair it'd been Balthazar’s place which held a strong resemblance to this. 

The younger brother nodded at Dean and Castiel as they escorted Rowena towards the back while the rest of them assumed their positions, surrounding the place. Each of them had their own angel blade gripped tightly as well as some glass vials full of holy oil. After confronting Lucifer a couple times the brothers learned that it never hurts to be a little bit too prepared. 

Rowena uttered a few words in some obscure language and the hex bag in her hand glowed purple. She carefully handed it to Castiel, who glanced briefly at Dean before hiding the bag in his coat and reached for the back door. Just as expected, it was unlocked. He stepped in and the door closed behind him immediately. 

“Over here, Cassandra” Lucifer’s voice echoed through the high ceilings. 

The angel gripped his blade tightly. Of course Lucifer was able to sense him the moment he stepped in. He can only hope the rest of his family is hidden properly from the archangel. 

He held his breath as he made his way through the long hallways of the place, his steps long and determined. Castiel remained alert at all times, the thrill of battle coursing through his veins like a drug. Once he reached the living room he closed his eyes for a brief second before opening them again, allowing some of his fiery grace seep through. 

“Lucifer” He greeted the archangel. Lucifer sat on one of the couches, a glass in hand. His usual careless stance was gone, replaced by stressed-out tenseness. 

“Asstiel” the archangel took a sip from his drink before setting the glass on the coffee table in front of him. “Let’s do this like civilized celestial beings, hmm?” 

The archangel stood up making eye contact with the seraph. 

“The wavelengths.” Castiel said, twitching in place. “They’re failing”

“I know” Lucifer said, indignantly. “Just as i know that you’re not that happy to see me, even with something naughty in you pocket” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” Castiel said, keeping himself calm. 

“Come on, Cas. You’re a terrible liar” Lucifer said, walking towards him. Castiel kept an impossibly tight grip on his angel blade, his knuckles turning white. “I know you have that red haired bitch” 

Lucifer snapped his fingers and his drink reappeared on his hand. He took a sip from it before speaking, still keeping eye contact with the angel. “As i said before, i want to do this like civilized angels do, which means no toys” He reached inside the angel’s trenchcoat and pulled out the hex bag, throwing it to the floor and immediately igniting it on fire. 

Castiel lunged his blade at the archangel then, who barely had time to jump back and dodge it. He reached forward and pushed Castiel hard, throwing him against the wall. A few plaster fragments fell, covering the angel in white powdery stuff. 

~~~

Dean and Rowena walked in exactly two minutes after Castiel. They sneaked through the hallways and, just as the angel had described, they found an empty room right next to the living room. They walked in and waited for Castiel’s queue. 

The older Winchester held his breath as Lucifer talked. He couldn’t truly make out what the devil was saying, but the tone in his voice was different than his usual snark which sparked some worry in the hunter’s mind. He felt Rowena tenze up next to him as the witch recognized the change in the archangel’s attitude. 

Suddenly there was a loud crash followed by Lucifer’s voice. Dean resisted the urge to curse under his breath as he stood on the doorway to the room, ready to burst in and get Lucifer off of Cas. 

Rowena reached up, squeezing his arm. _What the fuck are you thinking?!_ The hunter could almost hear the witch scream at him. He rolled his eyes, janking his arm off the witch’s grip and quietly made his way into the room. 

“I can’t believe i’m saying this but i don’t want to fight” Lucifer said, standing in front of Castiel. The angel looked up, frowning. He had expected much more work to try and convince the archangel, sneaking the hex bag in his jacket pockets. “I will come with you and the Winchester bunch and fix this damn thing” 

The words surprised the hunter, who kept himself hidden by the threshold but could now make out the words the devil said. 

“Why?” Castiel asked, looking as surprised and reluctant as Dean felt. 

Lucifer sighed. “Dean, Rowena, stop hiding. And tell Sam he can join in too”. 

_Crap_. Castiel gulped, his eyes widening with worry. 

After a few seconds Dean stepped into the room holding his angel blade impossibly tight. He looked up at Lucifer, his eyes burning with defiance and confidence that only someone as stupidly reckless as Dean could pull off in front of the actual devil. 

“Hey Dean” Lucifer said, a tight smirk appearing on his face. “Here to defend your boyfriend’s honor?” He stepped back, taking another sip of his drink. He purposely kept his back to the hunter, some of his careless attitude coming back for a split second. “Be my guest. But you better hurry, the universe is still collapsing as we speak” 

“So you’re really going to help us?” Dean said as he made his way towards the angel, helping him stand up and brushing some of the plaster off his shoulders. 

“Well, duh” Lucifer said. He finished his drink and snapped his fingers, making the glass disappear before once again snapping his fingers, making Sam and Rowena appear in the room right next to Dean. 

“What the-” Sam said before spotting Lucifer in the corned. His eyes went wide and in what seemed like a family trait he gripped the blade in his right hand tightly, pointing it at the archangel. Rowena just stood there, completely frozen. 

“Heya Sammy” Lucifer said, waving at the taller Winchester. His smirk grew wider as his eyes shifted to Rowena. He winked at the witch, blowing a spiteful kiss in her direction. “Rowena, my love” 

“Stop with the games, Lucifer” Castiel said, stepping forward. He was immediately followed by Dean who refused to leave the angel’s side. “Are you willing to work with us? No tricks, no games” 

The devil rolled his eyes. “If you haven’t noticed, it’s not just your pretty ass on the line, Cassie. This is about survival. And if i need to put up with Team Rocket then so be it” 

“If you try anything, and i mean _anything_ , i will kill you” Dean snarled at the archangel, pointing his blade at him threateningly. 

“Promise?” Lucifer said, licking his lips. 

“We’re losing time” Castiel interrupted, wrapping his hand around Dean’s elbow. 

“That, little brother, is refreshingly accurate” and with that Lucifer snapped his fingers.


	23. Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They gather the last ingredient to the spell. Cas and Dean finally talk (kind of).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to split this one in two (again). Hope you guys like it!

The entire world shifted out of place as they landed in the war room at the bunker. 

_A little warning would’ve been nice_ Dean thought, turning to the map table. “Mom, now” 

Mary slammed the palm of her hand on a sigil behind her and similar sigils lit up around the bunker, the walls turning blood red for a couple seconds before going back to their cream color. The atmosphere turned heavy and the room vibrated with power.

“What the hell is this?!” Lucifer asked, his eyes glowing red for a split second before flickering and going back to his vessel’s color.

Sam smirked at him, speaking up for the first time. “Just a little insurance, i’m sure you understand” 

“Oh you little-” Lucifer cut himself off, reaching forward and extending his arm towards the hunter’s chest expecting to throw him across the room. Instead, Sam barely moved, the nudge doing nothing to hurt him. 

“Ah ah ah, no archangel mojo fun allowed” Dean said grabbing Lucifer’s arm. The archangel was too confused to do anything as the older hunter snapped a pair of handcuffs around his wrists. Said cuffs were connected to a long chain and with a couple pulls the archangel fund himself restrained to a chair. 

“Oh, come on guys!” The devil said, snapping out of his initial shock. “I am actually willing to help here, ok?!”

“And what makes you think we’d ever trust you?” Mary said, wiping her hand on an old rag. 

“Ah, Mary. Did you miss me?” Lucifer said, smirking. “Where’s my son, anyways? Thought he’d passed the Winchester gang initiation”

“He’s not your son” Castiel said, standing in front of the archangel. “And we will never let you get close to him ever again” 

~~~

“I can’t believe i’m stuck babysitting” John growled as he kicked a wayward rock off the grass into the trees. 

“Look, i don’t know what your problem is but could you at least make this a little less difficult and annoying than it already is?” Claire said from her spot on the grass. They were standing in a clearing in the middle of the woods behind the bunker, far away enough for Lucifer not to sense them and for the sigils not to affect Jack but close enough to jump into action if needed. 

Of course, she had protested against being held back. She wanted to kick the devil’s ass, for God’s sake! But Castiel convinced her to stay back, giving her a speech about how they needed someone to stay back in case they can’t complete the spell themselves. It wasn’t the speech that convinced her, though. It was the raw desperation and downright begging in the angel’s eyes that crumbled what reckless defiance was left in her. 

She would’ve happily held back with Jack, the kid seemed cool and she was damn curious about nephilim. But then John was asked to hold back too. The man threw a complete temper tantrum and it took his whole family glaring at him and Castiel to force him back into the woods with his superhuman strength to keep the man here.

John huffed. “Whatever happened to respect” he muttered. 

“Whatever happened to being mature and trusting your family without throwing a bitch fit” Claire replied with a smirk.

“Ok listen here you-” 

“Please don’t fight” a distressed Jack said, glaring at both Claire and John. 

“Sorry” Claire replied, looking down at her hands playing with the grass. John huffed again but remained silent. 

Then they all fell silent, the only sounds being a couple birds perched on tree branches and some innocent ruffling coming from deep into the woods. 

“He’s here” Jack said, breaking the peaceful silence. His shoulders were tense and his eyebrows were knit together in worry reminding John of Sam. “They activated the sigils” 

“Can you hear anything?” Claire asked, shuffling to sit next to the nephilim. 

Jack hesitated from a moment before answering. “It’s all muffled by the warding” 

Claire nodded before hesitantly placing a reassuring hand on Jack’s forearm. Jack looked up at her, surprised. She smiled softly at him, squeezing his arm. “It’ll be fine. Come on, it’s Sam and Dean, and Cas. They can do anything” 

Jack nodded, smiling gratefully at her. 

More silence followed. Claire wasn’t aware she was holding her breath until the overwhelming need to breathe snapped her back. She eyed Jack from the corner of her eye but he had that damn angelic concentration face Castiel always had, completely unreadable yet somehow reassuring. 

“They did it” 

~~~

“Oh, you wound me, little brother” Lucifer smirked before growling out threateningly. “Don’t forget who you’re talking to”

“Don’t forget you’re the one chained up to a chair” Castiel said, letting a little smirk brush his lips. “By all means, right now you’re our little bitch” 

And with that the angel pulled out a syringe from his coat pocket, taking the safety cap off the needle before ramming it on Lucifer’s neck. The archangel hissed, letting out curse words under his breath. He fought against the chains but it was useless, the chains were covered in sigils like the ones he’d been wrapped around when Asmodick had him imprisoned. Except this time he was sure daddy wasn’t going to help him out. As idiotic as the monkey-brained oversized flannel shirts above him were, they were still trying to save the world. Oh dad, when did the actual devil, ruler of hell, destroyer of worlds turned so soft? 

“You got it?” Dean asked, standing a few feet behind Castiel. 

The angel nodded, pulling the needle free of the devil’s flesh. The syringe glowed blue-ish white light as Castiel carefully placed it on the table. 

“Great, now what?” Lucifer asked. 

“Now we make sure you don’t hurt anyone else ever again” Sam said. The devil looked at him, confusion and amusement both evident on his borrowed face. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Castiel summoning his blade, it landing swiftly in his grasp. The angel looked back at the older hunter and in silent agreement they both stepped forward. 

Dean grabbed a fist of Lucifer’s hair, making the archangel yelp in surprise. Castiel pulled on the fabric of his shirt, exposing his neck before rising his right arm holding the angel blade. 

Sam held his breath as time slowed down around him. He watched every second trying not to blink, not to miss anything as Cas sliced the sharp end of his blade against the devil’s throat, exposing the rest of his grace. A high pitched sound washed the air in the room, like one last tiny, desperate scream. Sam’s hand left his jacket pocket, exposing a little glass vial. He walked forward, feeling his heartbeat hum rapidly in his ears as he pressed the vial against Lucifer’s throat. 

The vial filled with archangel grace. Sam could feel it’s power vibrate in his bones, the pure heat of it threatening to melt through his skin. But he remained dazed, screwing on the cap and closing his fist hard around the glass. With one last deep breath time around him settled back to it’s usual rush, the heartbeat in his chest slowly settling down. 

He looked up just in time to see Castiel heal the cut on Lucifer’s throat. 

“What the-” Lucifer blinked a couple times, looking around the room. His face was blank, but the way his eyes shifted frantically pictured him as a deer in the headlights. “No, no no you can’t do this” Panic slowly settled in and soon the ex-archangel was fighting fruitlessly against his restraints. 

“It’s the least you deserve” Castiel said, before unlocking the chains holding him to the chair and roughly manhandling him into standing position. The angel kept a firm grip on Lucifer’s arm, making him hiss in pain. 

Wordlessly, both Castiel and Dean guided Lucifer towards the dungeon, ignoring his pleas and his cursing. 

“Rowena, you got all the ingredients?” Sam asked, going back into battle mode. 

“Yes, it’s all ready Sam” Rowena nodded, looking relieved. “I can’t believe Lucifer is human” She looked at the grace vial in Sam’s hand in awe before shaking herself and turning back to the ingredients. 

Mary walked around the table and stood next to Sam, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I am so proud of you, Sam” 

Sam smiled at her, his eyes burning dangerously. He cleared his throat and placed a hand on top of his mom’s. 

~~~

Dean closed the door to the dungeon, ignoring Lucifer’s screams. He made sure to lock the door before turning to Castiel. The angel shared eye contact with him for a couple seconds before walking down the hallway back towards the war room. 

“Cas, wait” Dean said, rushing behind him. 

Castiel stopped and turned to him, his head tilted and his eyes burning with urgency and tenseness. “What is it, Dean?” 

“Just” Dean stood in front of the angel. He took a deep breath and curled his hands into fists. There is so much he wants to say to the angel, so many things that he isn’t sure he can put into words, specially with the weight of the situation pressing down on both of them. So he just sighs and forces out what little he can. “Promise me you’ll be careful”

 _Promise me you won’t leave me again_ , he wants to say. _Promise me we’ll finish this, and you’ll come back home with me. Promise me i get to keep my family together_. And then there’s that which he doesn’t even dare put into words, not even in his own head because… well he just can’t. Feelings he’s fought so hard to repress, to not even think about not thinking to keep himself sane. Undeserving, resentful feelings he’s kept hidden for so long he can’t even remember how to bring them out and in the heat of the coming battle he can’t think clearly other than _please_ and _stay_. 

And Castiel, bless his heart, he _knows_ because there’s no one other than Sam that’s ever gotten so close to Dean. And still Sam has some misconceptions about his brother thanks to his deep rooted issues that are just too much to bring back at this moment. Castiel, on the other hand, could see right through Dean’s bullshit (most of the time). 

He _knows_ what Dean’s words truly mean, or at least the overall idea. He’s aware of the issues plaguing both of them, the reasons why they just _can’t_. He’s also aware of how tired Dean is of hiding, of faking and lying to himself and to others. And Castiel felt the same. They were both just so _tired_ of ignoring and hiding and repressing feelings that want to be felt. 

So the angel smiles softly at the human, the first genuine smile in God knows how long, and places a hand on Dean’s shoulder right where his mark once laid. He doesn’t say anything but there’s really no need for that because his eyes say everything. They always have, and that’s the reason why they understand each other so well (most of the time). There’s no need for words for them, there’s just feeling and being and it’s so easy and _right_ they have to. They need to. They want to. 

And they will. 

“I promise” 

And with that they head back to the war room. 

Claire, Jack and John were there. Sam had sent a quick text to Claire and in the blink of an eye Jack flew them in. 

“Lucifer is secured” Castiel announces upon reaching the table, turning to Rowena. “Is the spell ready?” 

“It is” Rowena says, looking down at the different jars and bowls around her. “There’s just one minor detail we’re missing” 

Mary sighed. “What is it?” 

“The spell must be performed in holy grounds, for it to be more effective” Rowena said, turning to Castiel. “What’s the closest place, feathers?” 

Castiel frowned, his eyebrows knitted together for a few seconds before drawing apart, his eyes widening. “Without counting any churches nearby, the closest holy place where the wavelengths seem to be falting and where the spell is most likely to work is Stull Cemetery” 

The atmosphere in the room turned ice cold. Sam, Dean and Castiel exchanged worried glances making the rest of the guests frown in confusion. 

“Isn’t Stull supposed to be a Hell gate? The complete opposite to holy grounds?” John asked, leaning over the map table. 

“Something like that” Sam muttered, still looking stricken. 

“Not necessarily” Castiel tried to explain. “It could be described as a divine place built over the birth of sin”

“Ok” John said slowly, not bothering to try to understand further than that. He turned to Jack. “You can take us there, right?” 

Jack nodded, flexing his wings. The movement was only perceived by Castiel, who quickly turned to him. “Wait” 

Jack tilted his head. “What is it?” 

Castiel turned back to Sam and Dean. They shared a silent conversation, eyes shifting from one person to the other. Dean sighed, taking a deep breath and nodding at Jack. 

“Ok, let’s go” 

~~~

The sky was pitch-black when they landed at the gates to the cemetery, the only light coming from the moon and distant lightning, but not a cloud could be seen across the ebony sky. Wind blew almost violently around them, dragging bits of dried-up grass and other plants with it. It was mid afternoon, but from their surroundings it might as well be midnight, which honestly was more than welcome by the brothers and the angel. Anything not to summon memories from that fateful day all those years ago. 

“Well, we’re here” Dean said, brushing off the shiver that had just ran down his spine. “Rowena, do your thing” 

The small crowd stood by as Rowena set the bowl on the ground, kneeling next to it. She started mixing up things, muttering words under her breath. She offered a handful of sage to the heavens before carefully placing it over the holy oil mix. 

Then, she called out for Claire. The teen grabbed her pocket knife and slid it across the palm of her hand, letting blood drip onto the bowl. Dean took out a rag from his jacket pocket and wrapped her hand carefully. They both moved back, waiting for Rowena to finish off the spell. 

“Feathers” she muttered, her gaze glued to the bowl before her. 

Wordlessly, the angel reached into his coat and pulled out an ebody feather. The moonlight hitting it in just the right angle, displaying blue and purple streaks. He handed it to Rowena, who dropped it into the bowl and, without any more ingredients to add, stuck her whole right hand into the bowl. She mixed the ingredients, speaking the latin words she had previously memorised from Billie’s paper. 

Suddenly, a bright golden light flashed next to her, and with a big explosion of light a portal opened. 

“Rowena, hurry!” Sam exclaimed. 

The tear in the universe shined bright, bathing them in the light of everything. It flickered a couple times as Rowena kept reciting the spell. And suddenly a hand came through, followed by an arm, a shoulder, a torso and a head. 

The world turned cold once again. Of course things could never be easy for them, but come on! They deserve a break!

“Brooklyn?”


	24. Break Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They save the world. Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was very hard to write this one but it was totally worth it. Hope you guys like it!

They remained frozen in place, staring at the figure struggling to get through the faltering portal. Blades and guns were gripped tighter, in position ready to be used at any moment in case the creature attacked.

The nephilim stopped struggling, turning to the little crowd before her with pleading eyes. “Please, help me” they could barely hear her breathy voice over the buzzing of the portal. Her long hair covered most of her face but a few bruises were quite visible on her arm and torso. “Please” 

Jack stepped forward, standing right next to Rowena who kept muttering the awfully long spell under her breath. A hand gripped Jack’s shoulder tightly, holding him back from the few steps that would take him to the portal. 

“Jack” Castiel said. Jack turned to him. “Don’t” 

Jack turned back to the creature stuck in the portal. He’d felt the familiar magnetic pull the moment the portal opened. She was a nephilim, fathered by an archangel just like him but after her war she’d been powered down. He could feel it. But as much resemblance as they held, he couldn’t compare himself to her. She’d done very bad things, hurt people and… other things she loved. All for her own selfish desires. Jack could see her whole story just by looking into her grey eyes. There was no way he could allow himself to become something like her, no matter how bad things get.

He knows he has something she doesn’t: a loving family. Even if the angel who procreated him hasn’t been filling in his role, he was lucky enough to cross paths with someone who could play said role perfectly. And more than that he found other people. Different people that allowed him to build his own vision of the world he was placed in with many different perspectives surrounding him. More importantly he found himself supported, not once giving up on him even after their rocky start.

This is unfair to her, he knows. Specially after he himself was given a second chance. But right now the only thing that matters is keeping his family safe and if that means leaving her to die, so be it. 

The nephilim turned and nodded at his father, stepping back once again. 

“Please!” Brooklyn kept begging. “The angels are hunting me down! They will kill me if-” Suddenly the portal started flickering violently, cutting her off. The light shined brighter before dimming. “NO” Her scream echoed through the empty field as the portal closed in a last pulse of golden light. 

Rowena stood up, the bowl gripped tightly between her hands. Her voice grew louder and louder until she was screaming the last bits of the spell. 

Suddenly the bowl started to glow a blinding white light. 

“Cover your eyes” Castiel screamed over Rowena’s voice, turning to the humans and making sure they followed through. Once he made sure they were all safe he turned back to the witch who had just uttered the last word. Pulse after pulse of energy emanated from the bowl, throwing everyone off their feet, landing several yards across the cemetery. 

The earth started to shake. It was subtle at first, a barely-there bouncing motion matching the gentle breeze caressing the dried-out bushes around them. But as the movement grew gradually violent so did the breeze, transforming into strong gusts of wind that carried dirt and dust with them. The atmosphere turned ice cold and the moonlight above them dimmed to a pale glow.

The humans laid on the ground unable to move. Their brains couldn’t comprehend what was happening around them, blurring out their surroundings and caging them. The only thing they could concentrate on was to _breathe_ and _don’t move_. As they became aware of the earth’s movements the dark shadows of unconsciousness lurked on the edges of their minds. _Keep breathing. Don’t move_. It got darker and darker no matter how much they tried to fight it and eventually the darkness was all there was to them. 

Castiel stood up as soon as he recovered from the shock of the impact, immediately reaching out for his senses to assess the situation around him. He closed his eyes and paid special attention to the wavelengths. They were still faltering, the once subtle stutters now acting up in irregular patterns. The angel held his breath as the saw atoms around him exchanging electrons at a rushed pace, causing little sparks to ignite all around resembling tiny fireflies. Everything in the universe accelerated, the earth’s magnetic fields pulsing with each supernova being set off in the outer space. 

Pressure changes in the atmosphere caused the oxygen levels to go down by the minute and gravitational faults made it impossible for humans to act up, leaving them paralyzed and struggling to breathe. Every single person on earth was suddenly having what, for lack of a better word, could be described as a collective stroke. 

_Is this it?_ The angel questioned himself as everything became too much for him. His knees gave out, leaving him kneeling hopelessly on the ground. _Were we too late?_

And suddenly, just as sudden as it all started, the universe was back in balance. The giant switch was flipped and the scale was set back to normal. The sky returned to it’s blue 5pm color, atomic behavior was back to being mostly imperceptible, the Earth’s magnetic and gravitational fields were back to normal and, most importantly, the wavelengths were back to their usual patterns. 

Castiel blinked once, twice, struggling to process. The change had been so sudden he couldn’t help but ask himself if the spell hadn’t worked and his father had had to step in. But as he turned to Rowena lying unconscious next to the bowl, burn marks all around the dead grass surrounding her, he doubted. 

He turned back to the humans, his family. Jack hadn’t been as affected as the others, obviously, but he still sat on the ground gripping his chest tightly with one hand, the other set on the ground by his side holding a fistful of grass and dirt. The nephilim looked up at the angel, his father, hopelessly and confused. But as he saw Castiel’s shoulders sink in relief he relaxed, releasing the fistfulls of fabric and dirt. 

“What just happened?” Jack asked, slowly rising to his feet. Castiel extended an arm to him and carefully helped him up. 

“Honestly, i have no idea” The angel’s voice was breathy and a little shaky, completely unusual for him. But Jack just smiled and pulled on Cas’ coat sleeves. 

“We saved the world” Jack’s eyes sparkled his joy, making something warm wash over the angel’s chest. 

“We did” 

~~~

A few trips later they were all back at the bunker. Jack had carefully teleported them back, leaving the boys and Mary in their bedrooms, placing John in an empty room. Claire was back at Jody’s, safe and sound. Rowena was left on a sofa in the library where Castiel and Jack could keep watch on her while they waited for the others to recover consciousness. They may have worked with her a handful of times before, but no way are they letting her unsupervised in a place full of ancient artifacts. 

“Jack, you should go get some rest” Castiel said, noticing the kid’s pale face and droopy eyelids. 

“Later” Jack murmured, rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands. 

“Jack-” 

“I just want to make sure they’re all ok” Jack interrupted him. 

“They are” the angel assured him. “Besides, you can’t help if you’re falling asleep on the table” 

“What about the witch?” 

“The witch has no intentions of hurting your daddy” Rowena said, making both men turn to her. “Wouldn’t risk it. Also the pretty iron cuffs are back. After everything we’ve been through”

“Get some rest” Castiel said, ignoring her. 

Jack nodded hesitantly, giving his father one last look before shuffling tiredly to his bedroom. 

“The daddy look does suit you” Rowena said, her usual smug smirk back on her face. “I always thought Dean would be the best dad but looks like you’ve already claimed that title. And the kid’s not even yours!”

Castiel glared furiously at the witch at that last sentence. Rowena kept her smirk painted on her lips, but still had the common sense not to make eye contact with him. 

The angel was more than constantly aware that he wasn’t Jack’s father in the physical sense. There was no elements of his grace or his vessel’s DNA in Jack, and he constantly lamented the fact that such evil intentions were put in his creation, even when Kelly was one of the best humans Castiel’s ever had the honor to meet. But after spending so much time with him -even when he was still sharing body with Kelly- he has learned that physical traits are only social constructs meant to feed onto imposed aesthetic illusions. He knows now that what truly matters is what’s on the inside. Jack’s soul is pure, bright. One of the brightest the angel’s ever seen. He’s a true Winchester: stupidly brave, with the biggest heart an 8 months old kid could have.

Since that first moment Jack’s grace made contact with Castiel’s and they both got rid of Dagon, Castiel knew Jack would be more than just Lucifer’s offspring. He felt warm and at peace, none of the darkness he was expecting. And now, Jack’s become his own person and Castiel couldn’t be more proud. 

Still, the angel had enough self hate and self doubt left in him to hesitate to call himself more than the nephilim’s caretaker. But everytime Jacks refers to him as his father Castiel can’t help himself but to feel too warm and happy to disagree. 

“Cas?” Dean’s gruff voice pulled him out of his thoughts. 

“Dean” the angel said, turning to Dean. The hunter walked towards the angel, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“What the hell happened?” 

“The spell must’ve released an overload of energy into the wavelengths accelerating the changes-” the angel spotted the confused look on the hunter’s face, cutting himself off with a sigh. “It resetted the universe a little too roughly”

Dean nodded, still not understanding but doubting he’ll ever comprehend exactly what happened, especially since not even Cas himself seems to know. 

“Well i’m glad we all got back home safe” he squeezed the angel’s shoulder, making eye contact with him. “Thank you” 

“Excuse me, but who do you think did all the work?” Rowena said, breaking the calm atmosphere between them. 

Castiel rolled his eyes, shooting another deathly glare at the witch. No matter how much Crowley had denied it, he could really see the resemblance. 

Dean cleared his throat awkwardly. “Cas, can i talk to you in private?” 

“What about her?” 

“Oh don’t you worry about me, lads. I’ll just sit here quietly. As i said, i wouldn’t risk anything at the moment” Rowena said, her smirked toned down to a serious frown. 

And with that Castiel did a double check on her restraints before following Dean into his room. The hunter closed the door behind them, ghosting a hand over his face. 

Castiel sat on the edge of Dean’s bed, looking up at him expectantly. Dean remained by the door, his back to the angel. 

Dean’s been waiting for this for a long time. His whole life he’s been holding back on who he really is, putting on this mask that promised to keep him and those around him safe but after everything he’s been through he’s come to realize how ridiculous that is. None of them are truly safe, ever. His father’s resurrection showed him that things just come and go, no matter who you are or what you do. So fuck it. He will take the damn mask off and he will be who he really is, which is not as different to who he is with the mask on, but there really are things, tiny, harmless things, that he’s had to hide by being told he shouldn’t be those things. He’s saved the world countless of times, he deserves a damn reward.

“Cas…” Dean hesitated, taking a deep breath. “For the past few years we’ve both been through some crap”

“Understatement” the angle murmured, making the corners of Dean’s lips lift in a subtle smile and encouraging him to continue. 

“Everytime something happens i can’t help but ask myself ‘Who am i going to lose next?’” he took a deep breath, turning around and meeting Castiel’s intense blue eyes. “Over and over again i have to see people i care about end up dead, or worse” 

There was a short pause filled with sadness. They kept comfortable eye contact, Castile remaining silent and letting Dean speak at his own pace. For the first time in a long, long time there wasn’t any impending, world-ending catastrophe praying on them. For the first time they could take all the time they needed, and they would make sure to use it as best as they can manage. 

“What i meant to say is…” Dean continued, clearing his throat and rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “I’m tired, Cas. I’m tired of holding back, being scared of speaking up and then losing everything to whatever hell we’ve unleashed upon the world. I am so sick and tired i…” 

The hunter sighed, closing his eyes. His mind was running wild with thoughts he needed to shut down before continuing. 

“Truth is, the last time you died i was a mess. I drowned myself in alcohol, was a complete dick to Sam and Jack, hell, i even killed myself” 

Castiel’s eyes widened at the confesion. He truly wasn’t expecting Dean to have mourned him so deeply, let alone harm himself like that. Before he could say anything, Dean continued speaking. 

“And i just kept thinking of all the things i never told you because i had my head buried so deep up my ass i-” Dean took a deep, shaky breath. “Now i realize i can’t wait for another ‘the end is neigh’, because if something were to happen to either of us i don’t think i’d ever forgive myself”

Dean stepped closer to the angel, holding his hands out for him to take. The angel frowned in confusion, his eyebrows knitted together and his nose scrunching up in a way that was too adorable for Dean to handle, especially at this moment. Castiel stood up, his hands gripped tightly by Dean’s as the hunter once again took a deep breath and briefly closed his eyes, gathering all the courage he could muster and praying he doesn’t fuck this up. 

“Cas, i’ve told you many times before that you’re like a brother to me. Truth is, i was lying” the angel’s face crumbled slightly by the painful reminder. So subtle that someone else wouldn’t notice the change but Dean knew him far too well to know just how devastated the angel was by the statement so he rushed himself to continue. “I was lying and i'm sure you already know that. You’re definitely not my brother, Cas. You’re-”

He was interrupted by a knock on the door. Dean cursed the universe he’d just saved. _Really? I finally get my shit together and you do this? Right after i got your shit together?!_

“Dean?” Sam’s voice came muffled from behind the door. “Dean? You ok in there?” 

Dean sighed, squeezing Castiel’s hands with his. “Don’t you dare leave” he said to the angel before opening the door slightly, revealing a very tired Sam. “I’m good. You?”

“Yeah i… what the hell happened?” 

“I don’t know. Cas doesn’t know either. Not really. But hey the universe seems to be back in place so i say we sleep for three days straight, huh?” Dean said, trying to make his brother leave as fast as possible. 

“Yeah” Sam said, leaning against the doorframe. “Where’s Cas by the way? I could only find Rowena tied up in the war room, everyone else is asleep. Even Jack” 

Dean sighed, opening the door all the way revealing Castiel standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. “We were talking. So if you excuse us” 

“Oh” Sam smirked “Well enjoy your talk. Just keep it down please” he winked at his brother before finally walking away. 

Dean closed the door, turning back to Cas. 

“As i was saying-”

“Dean” Castiel interrupted, looking down in shame. “If this is about me working with Lucifer i-” 

“What? Lucifer? No, Cas, man i-” Dean sighed once again taking the angel’s hands in his. Castiel looked up at him, the sadness and regret in his eyes too painfully evident. “Cas, you’re not my brother but you certainly are my family”

“I care about you an awful lot but over the years i’ve noticed that it’s not in the same way i care about Sam. Sam is my little brother, but you? You’re more than that, Cas. I-” Dean struggled to find words. He’d always been an actions speak more than words kind of guy and it was moments like this where he cursed himself for being like this. Every time he tried to speak up about serious things he always ended up with his foot in his mouth. But now is definately not the time to fuck it up. 

The hunter took a long, shaky breath, closing his eyes once again before carefully releasing Cas’ hands from his own. Instead he framed the angel’s face between them, looking into his eyes from a split second not wanting to chicken out. 

_It’s now or never_ he thought to himself before leaning in slowly, giving Castiel a chance to back out in case it was unrequited. But the angel didn’t move back an inch, instead he remained frozen in place, struggling to understand what was happening. 

And with one last tiny intake of breath Dean's lips brushed softly against Cas'.


	25. Greasy Takeout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They wake up, realizing the work is far from done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok i know this one is a bit boring but bear with me. Lots of Destiel fluff in the next one.

John woke up on a hard bed and immediately reached around for his gun, but instead he found some weird knife. _Good enough_ he thought to himself, somehow knowing that it was safe to use. The room was dark, cold and the smell of dust and paper overwhelmed him. He blinked a few times, sitting up on the bed with the silver knife thing, no, blade, still gripped tightly in his hand. A few seconds later his eyes got used to the poor lighting coming from underneath the closed door and the ex-marine reached over to turn on the bedside lamp. 

He blinked a few times, trying to get used to the bright yellow light that shined intensively beside him. Once he caught sight of the old furniture and the very characteristic tiles covering the walls he allowed himself to relax a little. The memories coming back like a movie playing before his eyes. He remembered the plan, and the car ride to Stull, but how had he ended up back at the bunker in a room by himself?

That witch. He knew he couldn’t trust her. She must’ve used some obscure mojo to separate him from his family. Even when Sam and Dean and that angel seemed to trust her enough to save the world, the universe, a witch is a witch. Humans weren’t built to have that amount of power, to turn into something so dark and different. It does things to your brain, things monsters are made of. 

He regained the tight grip on the blade and attempted to stand on his feet. To his surprise he found himself getting dizzy, his legs were shaky and weak and all too sudden the blade gained a hundred pounds and it took all of the man’s conviction not to release his grip. He took a few deep breaths and stabilized himself. The dizziness died down and he regained strength on his limbs.

_What the actual fuck was going on?!_

Fueled by rage and need to just _know_ John Winchester flung the door opened, and stepped outside into the long hallway. He walked and walked, his steps light and precisive. The bunker was quiet, too quiet for his liking, and he couldn't risk giving away his position in a place he barely knows. The hallways seemed to be eternal, taking him from dead end to dead end. 

He covered his mouth in order to drown a huff of frustration as he reached yet another dead end by a door that spelled in big bold letters ‘Electrical’. This place was a big underground labyrinth and the hunter did not like that one bit. He turned around and walked back to his start point. He went through a couple different hallways until _finally_ he recognized the hum of voices in the distance. 

John followed the sound and found himself in the library where that Jack kid sat in one of the tables watching something in Sam’s laptop. He unconsciously gripped the blade tighter and cleared his throat. 

Jack looked up at him, pausing whatever was playing on the laptop and giving him a shy smile as he recognized the man. 

The hunter couldn’t help but feel uneasy. There was something about the kid that always screamed **not human** that creeped John out too much for him to be able to handle the kid’s company. He knew the kid was good, or as good as he can be being Satan’s spawn, and his family had taken to him and that angel like family so he couldn’t give away his true feelings about the matter. Not that he would risk himself landing on the kid’s wrong side. 

“Good morning, John” the kid said cheerfully. “Sam and Mary are in town getting supplies. They should be back soon. Oh and Dean and my father are still resting” 

“And the witch?” the hunter asked, looking around the room half expecting to find her there. 

“Sam took her. He’s dropping her off somewhere” Jack answered, the smile still glued to his face. 

“He what?!” 

Jack’s eyes widened at John’s response. “Yeah, since there’s nothing else she can help us with he decided to let her go. Plus my father did agree to free her once she performed the spell-”

“Seriously?! How stupid can that boy be?!” John sighed. “And how the hell did i end up here?!”

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Jack asked, deciding to ignore the man’s first question. 

“I don’t know, arriving to Stull?” 

So Jack told John what happened as best as he could. John listened carefully, yet the nephilim could feel doubt emanating from the man’s soul. He prayed for his father to come help him deal with the grumpy, scary man. 

John Winchester definitely had a temper. It didn’t resemble either Sam or Dean’s, the man scaring the nephilim to the point where he had to force himself not to side eye the closest exit and make a run for it. From what Jack understood, John had done some very bad things in the past and things were tense between him and his family. He did not look forward to the confrontations that are sure to happen now that the man is most likely staying at the bunker. He just hopes that they can fix things and live like one big family. 

“So, the universe is good?” John asked Jack, just to be sure. 

Jack nodded lifting a weight off John’s shoulders and allowing him to sigh and sit down on the other side of the table, leaning back on the chair. Jack looked at him for a couple seconds before returning his attention to the laptop screen, unpausing the TV show he’d just started a couple hours ago. 

The sounds coming from the laptop relaxed John into his thoughts. _Is this real?_ he asked himself. _Am i allowed to have my family back? No world-ending issues, no war?_

The bunker’s door creaked loudly, signaling Sam and Mary’s arrival.

~~~

Mary had been the first one to wake after 9 hours of deep sleep. She’d immediately headed to the war room where she’s found Rowena chained up to one of the chairs. 

“Morning, darling” the witch said, smirking up at Mary. 

“What happened?” Mary asked, taking a seat on the other side of the table. 

“It’s a long, overwhelming story. But don’t worry, sweetheart, once again the Winchesters saved the world” Rowena tried to move her hands, being the dramatic witch she is, but all she did was rattle the iron chains around her wrists. She sighed, shifting in her seat to try and get more comfortable.

There was a long pause between them before Mary spoke again. 

“Thank you, for helping us” Rowena looked up at her, her smirk turning warm and genuine.

“Yeah well, it’s not like i had a choice” she tried to shake it off, but Mary knew what she meant. “I just wish they’d at list given me a cushion or something. This chair is too bloody uncomfortable”

“I can fix that” Jack said, walking into the room holding two cups of tea. “Good morning, Mary” he said, giving her one of the cups. Mary accepted it gratefully, taking a sip of the not-too-sweet chamomile tea.

Jack carefully set the other cup on the table before unwrapping one of the chains holding down the witch’s arm so that she could reach over the table and drink her tea descently while still being restrained. Jack snapped his fingers and soft cushion appeared over the hardwood chair. 

“Thanks darling” Rowena smiled briefly at him before taking a sip of her own. 

“Jack” Mary caught his attention as the nephilim sat next to her. “What happened” 

Before Jack could answer Sam walked into the room. 

“I could ask the same thing. Dean said not even Cas is sure” he said, rubbing sleep off his eyes. His hair dripped over his shoulders, showing he’d taken what looked like a long, relaxing shower. “Morning”

Jack told what he remembered from last night. His mind still remained blank from the wavelengths resetting themselves, but he still remembered how it felt which was more than the humans and even the witch could remember. 

“Oh” was all Mary could say. They stayed in silence, processing the information. Jack stood up and walked back to the kitchen intended to make another pair of tea cups for Sam and himself. 

When he got back Sam sat in front of Mary. They were discussing something but stopped once Jack stepped in. 

“What?” Jack asked, feeling their wide-eyed stares burn into him as he set one of the cups in front of Sam. 

“Thanks” Sam said, clearing his throat. “We’re just talking about what we’re going to do now that all the urgency is gone”

Jack frowned, taking a sip of tea. 

“I mean, we still have Lucifer locked up in the dungeon and Rowena…” Sam trailed off. There was more, but that could definitely wait. 

“I do recall a promise made to me by the dreamy angel, yes” Rowena said, placing her empty tea cup on the table. “He said i could go once the universe was set back in place. And would you look at that? It all seems nice and balanced, yes. So” She looked up at them expectantly. 

Sam sighed. “I don’t know, we need to talk to Dean first”

“Pfff that boy surely is too busy for that” Rowena said, a saucy smirk growing on her face. 

“Busy?” Mary asked, raising her eyebrows slightly. 

“Oh yeah” Rowena’s eyes shifted between Sam and Mary as he spoke. “Pretty boy woke up early last night and asked the angel for a talk. Since he never came back, well, i safely assume that those two-” 

Sam cleared his throat loudly, interrupting her. Mary turned to him, frowning, and Sam looked back at her with pleading eyes expecting her to understand they’d talk about it later. Besides, it wasn’t really his place. 

“Anyways” Sam said. “We set you free and what? You go back to killing innocents?” 

Rowena sighed. “Samuel, i’m extremely old. I think i’ve had enough accion for the next century or so. I’ll just lay low, scam successful rich men, the usual” She made eye contact with him. “Believe me, i don’t want to get myself in trouble, much less with you and your brother”

Suddenly Mary stood up. “Sam, can you help me with something in the kitchen?” 

Sam nodded, following her. 

“You believe her?” She asked once they reached the fridge. 

“Yeah” the younger hunter said, shrugging. “I mean, she’s right. There’s really no reason for her to go all murderous again. I was just asking to shut her up” 

Mary nodded. “Ok then. So what now?” 

Sam looked around the kitchen. “Well that last supply run really didn’t do much. How about we drop Rowena off somewhere and go to Walmart or something?”

~~~

Their steps echoed as they descended, both of them holding at least 15 plastic bags between them. They rushed to the kitchen and started setting everything, including the greasy takeout bags they’d picked up on their way back. Sam made a face when Mary suggested it, but then thought better of it deciding to treat himself. After all, he’d just saved the universe, again, and none of them had been hurt. 

“Sam, Mary” John greeted awkwardly from the kitchen doorway. He’d jumped to follow them as soon as he could. Anything to not be alone with the nephilim anymore. 

“Hey dad” Sam responded, putting away his precious vegetables in the fridge. 

John frowned at Mary’s lack of response, but decided not to push it. 

“You brought breakfast?” He asked, pointing at the bags. 

Sam nodded. “Greasy takeout” he smiled a tight lipped smile at his father before returning to his task. 

“Excellent. I’ll go get Dean” the hunter said, already stepping out of the kitchen. 

“Wait!” Sam said, sidestepping from behind the kitchen bar. 

John turned to him, an eyebrow raised in question. 

“I’ll go get him. I need to talk to him about something. How about you take the takeout bags to the war room?” 

Without giving John much time to comment Sam walked out, relieved. 

John stood there for a few seconds before carefully approaching the bar where Mary stood on the other side, putting away can after can of soup. 

He cleared his throat. “Mary…”

“We need to talk” she said, turning to him. Her face was unreadable, her lips set to a tight line. “But not now. Let’s just enjoy being with the boys for a day” 

John swallowed heavily but still nodded, wordlessly reaching for the takeout bags and taking them to the war room. 

~~~

Sam took a deep breath before lightly tapping on Dean’s door. The walls in this place were too thick, so he didn’t listen to Dean and Cas whispering on the other side. He waited a couple seconds before tapping again, this time louder. 

He leaned on the door frame, his patience running out. He reached forward to knock again but the lock clicked before he made contact with the dark wood. 

The door opened halfway to reveal Dean dressed in an old cotton shirt and boxers. Behind him Castiel sat on the edge of the messy bed in a similar attire. 

“What is it?” Dean asked, not daring to meet his brother’s eyes. 

“Breakfast is ready” Sam smiled softly at him, then at Cas before clapping Dean on the shoulder and standing up straight ready to walk back. 

“Wait” Dean stopped him, gripping the fabric of his shirt sleeve. “Can you, uh-”

“I won’t say a thing, don’t worry” 

Finally, Dean looked up to meet his brother’s eyes. 

“Thanks, man” he said. 

“No worries. I’m glad you finally got your shit together” and with that Sam walked back to the war room. 

_Better late than never_ Dean thought before turning back to his angel, closing the door behind him.


	26. Rush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Domestic Destiel + bacon before the final storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just me fulfilling my own fluffy desires before shit goes down for the last time... oops.

The kiss was soft, and completely one sided. Castiel stood, frozen in place trying to process what what happening. Dean’s lips sparked electricity throughout his body and he had to restrain himself from checking on the wavelengths in case they’d gone berzerk again. Instead he just allowed himself to _feel_. His body vibrated with the euphoria of having Dean’s warm soul so so close. The hunter’s rough, calloused hands felt like a blessing against the sides of his face, the tips of his fingers caressing his hair oh so softly the angel almost didn’t notice. Almost. 

All of this in less than five seconds. 

When the angel failed to return the gesture, Dean pulled back hesitantly. His hands remained on the angel’s face as he slowly opened his eyes, meeting Castiel’s. He released a shaky breath as he saw the angel’s glazed over eyes, the fear of rejection slipping away. Their breaths held as they got lost in each other’s eyes.

Clarity washed over the angel for the first time in a long, long time. He was at peace, he finally found the missing piece to the puzzle. He found out where he truly belongs. And that’s not Earth, or Heaven, or the bunker. He belongs right here, with The Righteous Man. 

Castiel leaned in a little too fast, catching the hunter completely by surprise. His lips locked with Dean’s awkwardly but none of them minded. It was perfect. 

They kissed each other senseless. They kissed until the day’s exhaustions were completely forgotten, replaced by raw energy coursing from their lips to the soles of their feet. They kissed and kissed, hands furiously gripping the other, so close, so good, they could almost feel their souls merging together. And suddenly it wasn’t enough, it would never be enough. Somehow, someway, they had to make up for all the time they’d lost to pointless lies, painful trials. 

Layer after layer of clothing was ripped from each other’s bodies, desperate to just **feel** , to have nothing between them. It wasn’t lust, it was pure desperate need for basic intimacy that ate at them until finally, _finally_ they stood only in their boxers. Hands caressed over skin, writing everything left unsaid by their busy lips. 

The primitive need for oxygen from the human became too much, and he softly let go of the angel’s lips. He pressed his forehead against the angel’s, a hand climbing up to grip a handful of dark, unruly curls as he just focused on their panting breaths against their swollen lips. 

“Dean…” the angel’s breathy voice fed Dean’s need, pulling softly on Castiel’s hair unleashing a tiny whimper from him. 

“Cas…” the hunter breathed in deeply. With his eyes closed he could feel the angel’s scent dancing around his nostrils, picturing a rocky, solitary beach in the wintertime. It was fresh and sweet, but old and wise altogether. 

“Oh Dean” the angel cried out, pressing the hunter against the back of the bedroom door, his arms wrapping themselves on the man’s waist. Castiel’s lips left sparks of emotion all over Dean’s face, neck and chest. Over and over again he worshipped the righteous man, singing thankful prayers to his father for blessing him with his beloved. 

Dean closed his eyes, trying to hold down the sobs that threatened to escape his chest. It was all too much, _too much_ but at the same time it wasn’t **enough**. 

And suddenly the frenzy died down. The angel raised his eyes to meet the hunter’s, relaxing his grip on the man’s waist. They stared into each other’s eyes for God knows how long, catching their breaths. The exhaustion washed over them like a cold shower, leaving them incapable to do much other than just stand there. 

The hunter yawned, cursing himself for breaking the moment. Castiel chuckled, making Dean blush. 

“You should get some rest” Cas said, stroking Dean’s lower back with his thumbs. 

Dean sighed. “Stay?” Was all he could bring himself to ask. 

The angel nodded, slowly pulling the man towards his bed. Once they reached there, they laid facing each other, their hands clasped between them. 

“Night, Cas” Dean whispered, his heavy eyelids fluttering closed. 

“Goodnight, Dean” Castiel said, watching over Dean. 

~~~

Castiel watched patiently as Dean slowly woke up. His eyes reacted to the dim lights leaking from the outside, moving underneath his closed eyelids. The angel couldn’t hold himself back, pressing a soft kiss over each eyelid. 

Dean groaned quietly before slowly opening his eyes, squinting against the yellow lights hitting his face. He blinked a couple times before settling his eyes on Castiel’s. The angel laid quietly as he watched the memories from the previous night dance on Dean’s mind. The grip on his hands tightened, the hunter’s unbelieving eyes searching his face desperately. 

“Cas?” Dean whispered, his voice rasp and deep. 

“Good morning, Dean” Castiel answered, squeezing the human’s hands back. 

Nothing could’ve ever prepared the angel for the genuinely happy, relieved smile that took over the hunter’s lips illuminating his whole face with a light the sun would be jealous of. The angel’s heart skipped a bit, as impossible as it could be, and his chest was set aflame. Suddenly he was floating in pure bliss, nothing could ever be more important than the treasure lying right in front of him, giving him everything he could ever need. 

They laid there for a long time, bathing themselves in the feeling. Not a single word was spoken, mainly because it wasn’t necessary. Their eyes, the soft touches here and there, they were enough to let the other know just how much- how _good_ \- how **perfect** it all was. 

Then there was a knock on the door. They’d been too immersed in the other to hear the first couple of soft knocks, but the second round of knuckles against wood was loud enough to break the powerful spell between them. 

Dean’s eyes widened. _No_. He’s not ready to go out there. _Please, God, not yet. Let me enjoy this some more_. But the crushing weight of his responsibilities forced him to comply. His eyes never left the angel’s as he regrettably pulled the covers off of himself, giving Cas one last long look before turning to his closet, retrieving a pair of cotton shirts. He handed one to Cas and graciously put his on.

The hunter closed his eyes, praying to all the Gods he could think of before slightly opening the door. A sigh of relief threatened to leave him as he saw it was just Sam, his annoying little brother. The tension left his shoulders as he opened the door all the way, giving Sam a full view of his room including the angel who now sat on the edge of the bed wearing only his boxers and the soft cotton shirt.

When he closed the door again, the same blissful happiness that had clouded his mind returned. He looked back at Cas and smiled so hard it hurt, muscles he hadn’t used in a lifetime getting a full workout. Castiel, **his** angel, sat on **his** bed and smugly looked like he’d belonged there his entire life. 

Then, as his eyes skimmed through the grey, slightly oversized shirt covering Cas’ chest, the reality of the situation hit him. The air was punched out of his lungs, his jaw dropping in the perfect ‘o’ face. 

Dean wanted nothing more than to run outside and scream, let the whole universe know that the angel with the pretty blue eyes and soft lips was his and only his. But he couldn’t. How was he supposed to go out there and be happy, be completely full, when so many issues still plagued those around him? How could he be so selfish? 

At least that’s the first thing he allows himself to think. Then the real reason why he took action sank in him. The exhaustion of carrying that stupid mask over his face had gotten to be too much. How can he hate himself so much when he doesn’t even allow his true self to openly interact with the world? He can’t keep sacrificing something he isn’t to save everything else. And while he’s opening himself up, can’t he just have a break? Let someone else carry the weight of the world over their shoulders? Just this one time?

Guilt clenches at his chest. He can’t be selfish, but there also has to be another way. A way for him to keep this without screwing up everything else. But **how**?

Panic threatens to take over him, his breathing picking up. _There has to be a way! There has to-_

Suddenly the warmth is back. A pair of strong arms snake from behind him, wrapping around his chest soothingly. Soft lips pressing against his neck, behind his ear. And the smooth purr of comforting words pulls him back from the edge. Slowly, oh so slowly, he reached up and gripped the arms around him, grounding himself. 

“Cas…” Dean breathed out, turning around in the angel’s arms once he gathered himself. 

“Yes, Dean?” The angel’s eyes met his, concern and confusion threatening to cover the glint of happiness that still shined on them. A knot formed on the hunter’s throat and he had to swallow and take a couple deep breaths before continuing.

“We shouldn’t… we can’t just... it’s not-” The words forming in his head refused to leave his mouth coherently, but to his great relief the angel understood, nodding once. 

“I know” Castiel’s lips pressed together in a tight-lipped, encouraging smile. 

“We have to finish the job first” 

“Of course” 

“And my parents, how am i going to-”

“Dean” Castiel cut him off, his expression serious. 

“I’m sorry Cas, it’s all just... too much” Dean apologized, hanging his head in shame. 

“I know” the angel said, dipping his head slightly until his eyes made contact with the hunter’s. 

“I don’t want to rush things” 

“Me neither” Castiel said. “I have waited so long for this, i’d like to, as you say, savour the moment before returning to our duties”

Dean smiled gratefully at his angel, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. He pulled away softly from Cas’ grip, placing his hands on the angel’s hips. “Thank you” 

He’s come this far, he can keep going. Dean Winchester will not give up on this. 

~~~

As soon as the smell of bacon reached him, he allowed himself to relax. His stomach rumbled loudly, reminding the hunter he hadn’t eaten in a long time. He focused his mind on his hunger, ignoring Cas’ footsteps echoing close behind him on their way to the war room. Now that he’d had a taste of what the angel had to offer, he knew it would be hard to keep his hands to himself, though being with the rest of his family should make that easier. 

“Hey” he greeted as he reached the room. Castiel had distanced himself from the hunter a couple steps back, trying to act as normal as possible. 

“Good morning” the angel greeted, approaching the table. He took a seat next to Jack, smiling warmly at the nephilim. 

Jack smiled back and immediately broke into an excited rant over the new show he’d started on Netflix. Castiel listened intently, nodding and commenting here and there. 

Dean watched them from the other side of the table, chewing a mouthful of bacon absentmindedly. Sam cleared his throat loudly next to him, kicking him under the table. The older brother glared at him, returning the kick. 

“Boys” Mary reprimanded them, smiling fondly over her coffee cup. 

“He started it” Dean said, pointing at Sam. 

The younger brother huffed indignantly. “No, i didn’t”

“Yes you did, right Cas?” Dean smiled smugly at the angel, who rolled his eyes in faked annoyance. 

“I’m afraid i wasn’t paying attention” Castiel’s lips twitched as he tried to suppress a smirk, his eyes shifting between the brothers.

“Really, man?! You’re supposed to be on my side!” Dean said, eyeing the angel. 

Castiel sighed. “Fine. Sam kicked you first” 

Sam’s eyebrows nearly reached his hairline as he replied. “You two are the worst. I can’t believe i’m going to have to deal with-”

John cleared his throat loudly, interrupting him. “Sam, Dean. Don’t you think we have more important things to discuss?”

There was a short pause, the boys looked at each other before turning back to John. 

“Right. Sorry” Dean said, clearing his throat. “So, Lucifer” 

The playful atmosphere in the room did a whole 180° turning icy cold and dense with tension. 

“He keeps screaming” Jack said quietly. All eyes turned to him and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, looking down. Castiel leaned towards him, eyeing him worriedly. 

“You can hear him?” the angel asked. “But the wardings. I made them specifically to keep him-”

“They’re not strong enough” 

Castiel sighed, ghosting a hand over his face. A gesture that was too suspiciously Dean’s. 

“He kept cursing, most of the night” Jack continued, shily looking up at his family. “He said he was cold… and hungry” 

“Good” Dean said, taking another sip from his coffee. 

“He’s asleep now, i think”

“Great. Let’s go gank the son of a bitch” Dean said. “I think Sam gets to do the honors, unless you wanna share” 

“Dean” Sam frowned. “I don’t think we should kill him yet” 

“What? You’re kidding, right?” Dean examined his little brother’s face. “Sam, that son of a bitch hurt you more than anyone, ever, and you don’t want to end him?”

“Oh no, i definitely want to kill him. It’s just-”

“Sam” Mary interrupted him. “He’s human, vulnerable. Why wait?”

“Exactly! He’s human! We have Lucifer locked up and he can’t do anything to us! We can interrogate him, get as much information as we can” 

“And what exactly do you want to ask Satan?” John replied. Just like in the old days, he showed his annoyance to Sam’s analytical behavior. Hunting was about muscle work, none of this ‘ask questions then gank later’ bullshit. 

“I don’t know, maybe the location to his crypts? Spells, sigils, that sort of thing?” 

“Shit, you’re right” Dean sighed. “So we get the intel and then smite the bastard” 

“I’ll interrogate him” Castiel said. 

“Great! Just the two of us, it’ll be easy to crack him” Dean slammed his hand on the table, leaning back on his seat. 

“Dean, there’s no need for you to expose yourself to unnecessary danger” Castiel insisted. “I’ll do it alone” 

“No way you’re going in there alone, Cas” Sam said, eyeing Dean. “Besides, he’s completely powerless. I’m sure we can manage”


	27. Lucifer Rises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys interview Lucifer. What could possibly go wrong?

It’s so fucking weird. **He’s cold**. Shivers keep running down his spine like electrical currents burning through his vessel’s skin. The devil shouldn’t feel cold. There’s a reason why Hell is associated with fire. Cold is, well, cold. Calm, unmoving and very fucking boring. Fire on the other hand is passionate, aggressive, always inflicting pain pain pain. Lucifer shouldn’t be forced to be cold. 

He also shouldn’t be locked up in a kinky dungeon, in the dark by himself. He shouldn’t have the need to twist his arms against the restrains trying to gain some feeling in his hands. He shouldn’t shift uncomfortably on the hard metal chair he shouldn’t be sitting haphazardly on. He shouldn’t be overpowered by those mud-eating, monkey-brained assholes. He shouldn’t be desperately, stupidly hoping they hand him his grace back on a silver platter. 

He just shouldn’t be so… **human**.

_Wow_ , he thought, rolling his eyes at himself. _Dad must be having a blast_. After all, it’s not every day that you get to see the devil himself become the exact opposite of everything he has fought and killed for.

His throat hurts, from screaming or being extremely dry, he doesn’t know. It’s an odd feeling, the kind of ache that is so concrete it leaves you no choice but to feel it constantly throbbing and taking over your thoughts. Not that it matters, he’s sure the Winchesters aren’t planning on bringing him a nice glass of water and a cozy blanket any time soon. 

He tells himself it’s ok, it’s fine. He’s been through worse things, in the cage, at his dad’s hands. He’s the devil, he gets off on pain and suffering. He tells himself he doesn’t enjoy those things because they’re on someone else and seeing that makes him feel better about his own pain. He totally doesn’t. In fact, this? Thirst and hunger? Uncomfortable loneliness and despair? Child’s play. Where’s all the meat hooks and fires of eternal damnation? Being practically human is _nothing_ compared to what he created in hell. 

Being human is disgusting, actually. Those materialistic, whiny bastards are so pathetic they can never get what they want. As an archangel he could just snap his fingers and voila! Suddenly he has a nice mansion with a big TV and all the alcohol his immune little liver could ever desire. Humans have to work, steal, lie, anything to get it. Ugh. 

Humans have families, too. Why the fuck would they want that?! It’s always the same, just fighting and fighting over and over again. Parents that don’t bother to understand their kids, annoying siblings that make it their number one task to make your life hell (sometimes literally), why even bother? 

True, he actually wants his son. But, see, this is different because Lucifer knows damn well he can be a better father than his own. He knows he can shape Jack, show him just how unfair and ridiculous this whole thing is. After all, he made the kid. Doesn’t matter he had to have some dumb woman involved, boy’s Lucifer’s son. The kid is basically just an extension of his being, he damn well will understand. And once he does he’ll get his grace back and it’ll be just them two against his father’s pathetic creations. 

Now more than ever does he want to end them. 

~~~

Lucifer is disturbingly unaware of the fact that he let his consciousness slip when the door to the room opens and he’s suddenly bathing on warm yellow light. He startles awake in panic, his heart threatening to climb up his throat as he looks around and realizes he’s restrained. Lucifer’s panic only intensifies when he can’t manage to get a grip on his grace. For the couple seconds that it takes him to remember what happened his panic only increases and it’s when he realizes that the Winchesters are there to most likely kill him that he starts breathing heavy, his hands shaking at his sides. 

_What is happening to me?!_ he asks himself as the heavy metal shelves that doubled as doors to the dungeon cracked open. 

The devil blinked forcefully against the light after spending so much time in the dark, trying to get his annoyingly human eyes used to it. He gripped the chair arms tightly, willing his hands to stop shaking. Slowly his eyes adjusted, exposing three silhouettes standing by the entrance to the dungeon. He opened his mouth to speak but quickly decided against, fearing his voice would give a hint of just how weak he felt. Though his appearance must be giving most of it away anyway. 

One of the figures threw something at him, landing heavily on his lap. Lucifer looked down and to his mayor surprise there was a bottle of water there. He released his heavy grip on one of the chair arms and tried to reach for it, quickly realizing it wouldn’t be possible for him to be relieved of his dry throat. Stil, his stupid newly-human brain insists that _this_ , he needs this thing to stay alive and this things shouldn’t be getting in the way. _Why are they in the way?!_

He struggles against the restrains in vain, the iron chains barely even shifting, the slight sound of metal rubbing together echoing through the empty dungeon walls. _Is this their game? Is this how they want to torture me?_ And that’s when he remembers himself. He’s the devil, ruler of Hell, why is he allowing himself to be tortured like this?

Lucifer looked back up at the now clearer silhouettes and lifted an eyebrow. _How disappointing. I expected more from them_. Now that they’re here, though, he’s looking forward to the delicious physical pain they’ll undoubtedly lay on him. 

Castiel sighed and stepped forward, undoing the chains on one side of the chair just enough for Lucifer to be able to reach for his water with just one hand. Lucifer opened and closed his fist a couple times to try and regain feeling, making sure his vessel’s hand still worked.

Once he was sure he could, Lucifer grabbed the water and immediately tried to open it. He found it almost impossible with just one hand and little to no experience with plastic bottles, but he wouldn’t let himself look defeated in front of his captors. Sam, Dean and Castiel watched as he struggled, enjoying the display. 

Realizing how desperate he looked, Lucifer slowed down his movements gradually, eventually managing to undo the cap. He looked up at the boys, raising both eyebrows in question as he leaned forward and took a sip from the bottle. He had to restrain himself from closing his eyes as the cool liquid relieved his aching throat as he downed the entire bottle in a couple gulps.

The boys watched as the devil finished the bottle to the last drop, shaking it demandingly as if he could magically make more water appear. When it was clear to him that that would be the only water he’d get Lucifer looked up at them again, tossing the bottle back at Castiel. It landed on a heap by the angel’s feet, the impact of the hard plastic cap against the floor echoing through the room. 

Lucifer cleared his throat. “Well i take it you guys aren’t here just to watch me drink water, as new as that is” he said cockily, his voice rough and dry.

“No, we’re actually here for a nice chat” Dean said, smirking back at the ex-archangel. 

“Oh, well the weather’s a bit cold down here” Lucifer said, maintaining eye contact with the hunter as he slowly entered the room, followed by his brother and the angel. 

“Hmmm take it you’re not a fan” Dean continued, setting a duffle bag on the wooden table by the corner. The light placement casting a shadow over it so Lucifer struggled to see what they were doing there. 

“Eh i don’t know, it’s a nice change from all that eternal fire and damnation” 

“I bet” Sam said, gaining Lucifer’s attention. “You’ll be missing it soon enough” 

Lucifer gasped mockingly. “Sammy is that a threat, bud? You know i don’t do that stuff” 

“Oh it is a threat” Sam said, smirking down at the devil. “And believe me when i say that you won’t be leaving this room any time soon, _bud_ ” 

“Mmm someone’s getting all angry and violent. Me likey” Lucifer smirked. 

~~~

Jack, Mary and John sat in the war room, crowded over Sam’s laptop watching the live footage from the camera the boys had installed in the dungeon a few months before. 

“So we’ve talked about the weather… you know, i haven’t had time to watch the game recently, i’ve been a little tied up” Lucifer’s voice blasted through the speakers. 

Jack sat right in front of the laptop, Mary and John flanking his sides. 

Mary had a comforting hand on the boy’s back while John kept a tight grip on the angel blade hidden in his jacket inside pocket. 

“Enough with the games, Lucifer” Castiel said, standing right in front of the human. 

“Oh please, Castiel. Don’t you wanna play with your big bro?” 

Castiel ignored him,walking to the table where Sam and Dean were pulling out knives from the bag. 

“Come on! We had so much fun with their daddy, i’m sure you’d love to stay a few days in my mansion. Drink some whiskey, talk heaven gossip, torture souls in hell.”

Lucifer stared at the three figures standing over the table, their backs turned to him. His smirk grew wider as he caught a glimpse of the knives. 

“Maybe i can ride around your meatsuit again, hmm, Cas? That was so much fun, looking at all your little thoughts and feelings. Truly pathetic, but entertaining enough”

The boys kept ignoring him, though Jack was able to see Castiel’s shoulders tense up, his hands curling tight around the table edges.

“Come on, i’m getting tired of good ol’ Nick here. Of course, being me, he’s devilishly handsome. But you, Cassie? Oof, do you have any idea of how many kids i’d have by now?”

Jack’s hands were balled up in tight fists at his sides, his nails leaving half moon creases in his palms threatening to break the skin. He’d promised them he’d step in in case something went wrong, though they had assured him nothing could happen since Lucifer was now powerless and vulnerable. The boy still worried, scared to confront his one true fear. 

“Shut up” Castiel grunted, not bothering to look at the ex-archangel. Instead he grabbed his angel blade as Sam and Dean chose a knife each. They shared a look and a nod before walking towards Lucifer. Sam stood in front of him while Cas and Dean stood by his sides, their blades ready. 

“Now you’re gonna tell us everything you know” Sam said, placing the knife right under Lucifer’s chin. The tip poked at his throat, piercing the delicate skin and forcing a bead of bright red blood out. 

“Know about what?” Lucifer asked, his face remaining stone hard and unbreakable. Though, on the inside, the panic still flared through him. 

“Everything” 

“Are you sure you want to watch this?” Mary asked Jack, the hand on his back rubbing comforting circles between his shoulder blades. 

“I have to” Jack said, his eyes glued to the screen as Sam made the first real slash to Lucifer’s face. 

“No, you don’t” Mary insisted. “We could just tell you if we need you in” 

“No…” Jack said, watching Castiel punch Lucifer. “I truly have to see this”

John sighed next to him, his eyes glued to the screen too. “Look, kid. You don’t have to do anything. You’ve already helped enough. If you think watching this is going to give you some sort of closure then you’re wrong. This is only going to leave you empty and miserable for the rest of your life”

“No, you don’t understand” Jack said, his eyes following Dean on the screen as he took note of whatever location Lucifer was giving them. “I… i need this. When i was very sad, and Castiel was dead, a shapeshifter helped me talk to my mom. I saw my mom and i felt better. I… i stopped feeling scared. Now i have to watch this, watch _him_ so i don’t feel scared anymore”

~~~

“Are those all your crypts?” Sam asked, holding the shreds of Lucifer’s shirt in his fist, his face centimeters away from the devil’s. 

“Yes” Lucifer grunted. 

“You sure?” Dean asked. Sam shook Lucifer again, making the chains rub against the now tender skin of his wrists making him hiss. 

“Yes, i’m sure” 

“He’s not lying” Castiel assured them.

“Then that’s it. Sammy, do the honors” Dean said, putting the notepad on the table and picking up Sam’s gun, handing it to him. 

Sam sighed, taking the gun and stepping in front of the ex-archangel. He gripped the gun tightly with both hands and pointed it at Lucifer's head. His hands were disturbingly steady, years of pointing that same gun at different heads allowing him to remain focused. 

This was it. His moment. A long time ago he learned that revenge isn’t the answer, and he accepted that fact. But this is Lucifer. This _thing_ that has killed and hurt so, so many people is finally getting what he deserves. 

But, is this what he truly deserves? Death? A permanent nothing in the empty? 

Lucifer smirked at his hesitation before muttering something under his breath reaching forward with the arm where the chains were loosened up a bit. 

The room suddenly fell silent, the distant buzz of the light bulb above them being the only sound. For the first time Dean acknowledged the icy cold atmosphere, mixing with a fresh blur. 

And suddenly they were floating. They couldn’t move their bodies and they couldn’t make sense of their thoughts. They became Lucifer’s dolls, powerless and filled with cotton.

Lucifer smirked, pulling on the chains. A few minutes ago Dean had punched him hard, making his yaw pop but most importantly, sending him to the hard floor. There, he was able to take an old needle they must’ve forgotten to pick up from a previous torture session. How fun. And with that the devil used his barely-there movie knowledge to pick the locks, freeing himself. 

He looked at the brothers and the angel, considering shoving some of their knives in their pretty little chests, but then he spotted the camera in the corner. 

_Come get me, son_


	28. He Said "Paradise on Earth"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack confronts Lucifer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Jack so much :,)

It wasn’t until Lucifer stepped out of the dungeon that he realized the implications of what he’d just done. His mind had been working just fine up to the point where those assholes showed up. Then it was like he was put on autopilot, his famous trademark sass getting out of control. Again.

 _God fucking damn it!_ All the progress he’d surely achieved so far, all the effort he’d put into actually trying here, everything he’d done since he last tried to fuck up the universe, trying to win over the Winchesters or at least show that he’d changed even when it wasn’t all that impressive, it was all gone.

He looked back inside the room from where he stood by the doorway. The dusty shelves stocked with books and boxes and numerous files thrown haphazardly all over framed the toppled chair that sat in the middle of the room, chains circling it like hungry serpents. The yellow lights casting warm shadows over the room, highlighting the three bodies that remained motionless inside. He knew, as soon as he stepped through the door they’d regain movement.

They all had an incredible advantage on him. They knew this place inside and out (definitely better than he’d bothered to see when he’d possessed Castiel), not to mention that they were literally holding knives that could very much kill him in his current condition. He considered going inside, grabbing said knives and any other weapon he could find in there and running out. But if he does that, if he gets his weakened human hands on so many weapons, things would definitely get worse for him. 

All thanks to the stupid Mark and, more specifically, his stupid Father. As much as he hates to admit it (and, Christ, how many flaws does he have to admit to before doing actual, tangible progress?) maybe it’s his fault for setting himself off and actually thinking he could work with the Winchesters without them doing something as stupid as taking his grace and chaining him to a chair. 

Yes, he’s currently human, but it doesn’t really bother him. He has been well aware that something like this could happen. He’s literally one of the oldest beings in the universe, he’s the creator of deception and, of course, he’s got some tricks up his sleeve. He just needs to get to his safe house where he’ll be safe and sound and he’ll be able to get his hands on that one thing…

Lucifer feels the painful throb of the Mark burning through his vessel and groans. Without his grace he can’t tone down the Mark’s wishes. And without a soul, well, let’s just say that the things going through Lucifer’s mind aren’t pretty, even to something like him. 

But he’s the goddamn devil, ok? He’s not weak, and he definitely will not be the Mark’s bitch. Not today, not ever. 

So he follows through his plan, making his way through the bunker’s hallways as fast as he can manage while calling out for his son. 

~~~

Jack, Mary and John watch silently as the boys interrogate Lucifer, taking silent notes of any detail they might miss, as well as any sign that something could go wrong. Jack follows his father closely, since he’s the one standing closer to Lucifer most of the time, apart from Sam. Dean had decided to keep his distance, knowing that the other two deserved a better chance at Lucifer than him, still standing back and taking actual notes but close enough. The nephilim can’t even fathom either of them getting hurt by the devil again. 

They’d previously cleared the path from the library to the dungeon, including short cuts and important rooms that could come in handy so it’s no surprise that as soon as Lucifer manages to break out of the chains John is making his way to them. He ignores Mary calling out to him, blinded by his own _’i knew something like this would happen’_. He’s determined to take the fight to the thing that brought him back, used him, but most importantly, hurt his family in ways that they’ll never be able to come back from. He’s got his angel blade out of his coat pocket and is more than ready to shove it though the devil’s non-heart. 

But then Jack is following right behind him, forcefully pulling him back with both hands on the man’s shoulders. 

“Let me go!” John demands, squirming against the kid’s incredible grip. 

“No!” Jack says, shoving him back to the chair he’d previously sat on. The kid’s eyes were wide, and it was taking everything in him not to hyperventilate in fear. “You can’t just put yourself in danger like that!” 

“So then what? We let the devil walk around the place like that?! No. I’m going after him” with that John stood up, but only got a couple steps far when he lost feeling of his own legs. 

“I’m sorry, but i can’t let you” Jack looked up at Mary. She held her own angel blade with her right hand, her left reaching behind her for her gun. “You either” 

Both Winchesters stood frozen in place, unable to fight back. 

“He’s looking for me. So i’ll go after him like i promised i’d do” 

“Kid, you can’t-”

“Jack, don’t you dare-” but the nephilim ignored both Mary and John’s pleas, exiting the library and walking into the maze of hallways. 

“Jaaack” he heard Lucifer call out mockingly, his voice echoing through the empty hallways. “Come greet your papa” 

~~~

“Son of a bitch!” Dean groaned out as soon as the spell broke. “You guys ok?” 

“Fine” Castiel groaned out, Sam grunting behind them.

Dean reached down, grabbing the knife he’d been holding and an angel blade for good measure before making his way out of the room. 

“Dean wait!” Sam called out, chasing after him. Castiel followed close behind them, his angel blade in hand. 

“We can’t let him roam free through the bunker” Dean called back, power walking though the hallway. “He’s human, but he’s far more dangerous than we thought damn it” 

“Which means we probably shouldn’t chase after him blindly” Sam hissed gripping Dean’s shoulder tightly. 

“Sam, this isn't the time to stop and talk about it” Dean barked back. 

~~~

He’s human, he can’t hurt me. He’s human, he can’t hurt me. _He’s human, he can’t hurt me_. 

Jack kept repeating the words in his head, taking deep breaths to calm himself. Seconds seemed to last hours as he walked through the endless maze of underground hallways until, finally, he turned from one hallway to another and there he stood, eleven feet and three inches away.

Lucifer, his creator. 

Jack is more than certain that he is nothing but that. He may have created him, but his mother gave him life. And his found family gave him a meaning to being alive. He’ll always be grateful to them, even when there was pain and doubt and rejection. So when the devil says:

“Hi, son. Nice to finally meet you without being inside that stupid angel” 

Jack can answer without a doubt:

“I’m not your son” 

The hurt on Lucifer’s eyes is unexpected. From what he’d been told about the ex-archangel, he wasn’t really expecting much emotion coming from him, much less the glowing colors that imitate those of a soul emanating from the vessel. There was a dark spot he tried to avoid staring at, but it swallowed his gaze like a black hole and caused shivers to run down his spine. That must be the piece of darkness in him. 

“They told you to say that?” Lucifer asks, a small smile trying to fit in his lips, leaving him grimacing awkwardly. 

“No” Jack said, keeping a straight posture. _He’s human, he can’t hurt you_.

Lucifer sighed. “I can imagine the things they must’ve told you” he took a step forward, to which Jack took a step back. The devil sighed again, opting to just keep eye contact with the nephilim. 

“Let me guess, i’m the most evil thing ever and all i do is hurt people” He paused, looking for some sort of confirmation. Jack nodded once and he continued. “Did they tell you about God being an asshole to me? That he gave me the Mark, basically cursed me for life, and then expected me to be a saint?” 

“Jack!” Castiel called out from behind Lucifer. He pointed his blade at the ex-archangel, ready to stab him at any second. 

Lucifer held his hands up in surrender, looking at Castiel with pleading eyes. “I just want to talk my son” 

“No” Castiel said. He looked back at Dean, then at Sam, motioning him to step forward. The younger brother barely got to stand next to Cas when all movement was blocked from his body once again. 

“I’m sorry” Jack said, gently pushing them back against the wall. The tree of them opened their mouths to protest but no sound came out. Jack looked at them apologetically before looking back at Lucifer. “Keep talking” 

Lucifer smirked. “I bet they didn’t tell you how unfair it was on me. How i often lose control of myself because of daddy’s little gift” Once again he attempted to take a step forward. Jack barely even flinched, so he opted to take one more step. “I would never do that to you. In fact, i’m certain i would be the best father you could ask for” 

Jack shifted awkwardly, never breaking eye contact. 

“We could rule the universe together, erase all of my father’s mistakes. Bring paradise on Earth, as he intended from the start. I can promise you, we can do better than that bastard. We can do great, amazing things, just you and i” 

_’...He manipulated him. Made him promises. Said ‘Paradise on Earth’’_ Dean’s voice echoed through his mind. He knows Lucifer only wants to use him, but...

 _Your mother believed that you’d do amazing things_ Castiel’s voice follows Dean’s, both playing on repeat in his mind. 

“Everyone will bow down to us, give us the respect we deserve. And you’ll have someone that understands you better than any of these mud-monkeys ever could”

He looks behind Lucifer to see all three Winchesters fighting relentlessly against their invisible restrains. They screamed, or at least tried to, at him. They begged him not to listen, to just grab an angel blade and kill him. **He’s right there, he’s human and he can’t hurt you**.

“I know what it’s like, better than anyone” Lucifer continued. “I know how you feel. Misunderstood, alone. But i understand. I know what it’s like to have that darkness inside. And i’m here to tell you that you don’t need to be scared of it. You can unleash it, and you’ll be rewarded. You don’t need anyone but yourself, and your old man of course”

Jack only stands there, staring a hole on the tile floor.

“Son” Slowly, Jack looked up at him. “You are my son. I know everything about you because you’re an extension of me. I am your father and i will always be. Of course if you ever misbehave i’ll have to punish you, but that’s just part of this. Us. And soon enough you’ll learn to love the punishment, i know it” 

There was a small pause. The bunker was silent, too silent, except for the soft hum of the machines running the place. Jack swallowed, taking a deep breath before stepping forward. Now, only a couple feet separated him from Lucifer. He could sense the panic coming from the three figures in the back, but he forced himself to ignore them, concentrating on Lucifer. 

“Let’s just get out of here” Lucifer smiled, actually smiled in triumph as he saw Jack get closer. “Take us to my safe house and once i get my strength back we’ll be invincible”

 _Jack, please_ Castiel’s pleading voice screamed in his head. 

It was all too much. The electricity coursing through the bunker made his skin crawl, Lucifer’s unnerving smile and stare adding to the general feeling. And then there was Castiel, Sam and Dean. His caretakers. His… what? And Lucifer? His creator? What are they?

What is he? 

_Who is he?_

His name is Jack. He’s almost one human year old. He’s a nephilim, the offspring of the archangel Lucifer and the human Kelly Kline. But most importantly he is… 

With a determinate frown he walks forward, deleting the distance between him and Lucifer. He looks up at him and without saying a word he wraps his arms around him. Lucifer stands there, dumbfounded, before hugging the kid back. It’s tight, and, well, something. It only lasts a couple seconds but as he pulls back, the victory grin on his face dissolves. 

“Are you… crying?” he asks, raising his eyebrows at the kid. 

“Yes” Jack nods once, not breaking eye contact with him. 

Lucifer frowns, before sighing. “Well we don’t do that. Now do your thing, take us to my place” 

But Jack just stands there, staring at him. Tears slowly making their way down his face. 

“Umm can you stop with the creepy staring, son?” 

“No” 

“Ok… just, flap those wings. Go on” 

But Jack just stares. And now that he’s paying closer attention, it looks like the kid is concentrating on something. 

“Kid, what are you doing?” 

“You say you know who i am” Jack says slowly, a smirk making its way to his face. 

“Well, yeah. You’re my son, duh” Lucifer says, confused. God, being a father is exhausting. 

“No, you’re wrong” 

Lucifer’s frown deepens at this. He stands straight, towering over the kid. “Excuse me?”

“I am not your son” Jack’s smirk turns to a warm smile as he looks back to the three figures at the back. “I’m a Winchester. And you don’t belong here” 

With that, the ground underneath them starts shaking. Jack reaches up with his left hand, wrapping it around the devil’s throat. Lucifer tries to scream, wrapping his hands around the kid’s wrist but it’s useless. Almost effortlessly, he lifts him off the ground, choking him. 

Jack extended his right arm towards the wall behind him, and just as when he was born, a tear opens. Except this isn’t a rift to another universe, this is a portal. 

“It’s time for you to go back where you can’t hurt anyone ever again” Jack smirks, his eyes meeting Lucifer’s terrified ones one last time before he pushes him through the portal.


	29. Start All Over Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally things start looking up for everyone.

Lucifer felt his entire world shift violently. His stomach bunched up in his throat as he was sucked into the small tear in space, pressing down on him and leaving him breathless for a few seconds before it spit him out in a completely unknown location. As fate would have it he landed on his ass, shooting a sharp wave of pain up his spine as he coughed and wheezed. Once air reached his lungs and his heartbeat slowed down enough he tried to look around. 

It was dark, too dark for him pseudo-human eyes to get easily used to. Tiny rays of white light seeped through the walls, indicating he was in some sort of room though there seemed to be no obvious door. 

So he’s locked up somewhere. Ok, no big deal. He’s been here before. Even as a grace-less being he’s confident he can make it out. He’s the devil, ruler of hell, creator of your worst nightmares, and all that. He always manages to escape. Now he only has to figure out where that annoying little bastard sent him to. 

“Hello, brother” 

Lucifer tenses up as the words echo through the room. The small streams of light flicker as thunder and lightning rumble in the background.

_No. It can’t be. I can’t be-_

“Welcome back” the voice said. A small shuffle placed the figure right in front of lucifer, leaning against the wall. “It’s been a while”

“Michael…”

“Lucifer” Michael said, lightning striking and washing them in bright light for a few seconds, revealing the archangel staring straight at Lucifer, his posture relaxed and completely care-free. “I must say, i was starting to doubt whether you would be thrown back in or not. The demons like to gossip here and there so i know the basics of what happened up there, but i bet your point of view is way more interesting”

Lucifer shifted awkwardly, leaning against the wall. The uncomfortable sensation of being too cold and too hot at the same time hit him, making him wrap his arms around himself. “Yeah, well. It’s a long story”

“I know. We do seem to have more than enough time, don’t you think?” Michael giggled maniacally, a sound that had become background white noise during his stay in The Cage. 

“Just. Shut up” Lucifer said in the most threatening voice he could muster. 

“Or what? You’re going to use your fragile little human hands to choke me?” Michael said, his giggle evolving into a loud laugh, mocking the ex-archangel. 

Lucifer closed his eyes, pulling on his hair in despair. 

“Those Winchesters… Dad must be having the time of his life watching those mud monkeys messing with what we thought was the celestial plan” Michael said between gasping breaths. 

“Oh, believe me. He is” Lucifer said, pulling his knees towards him, resting his chin on them.

“Unbelievable” Michael said, shaking his head and biting his lip. “And you. You really went out there and fathered a nephilim just to get His attention. Of course it backfired on you.”

Lucifer huffed. “The Winchesters corrupted him before i could get to him”

“I’m glad they did. The world doesn’t need two of you out there. Even after all He’s fucked us over, I’d still hate to see His creation destroyed” Michael’s loud voice turns into a small whisper as he says this, his head hangs low in shame and pain. 

Deep down, Lucifer knows his big brother is right. He could never be a descent father, a proper God. Not when he’s being a child himself. He risked everything for the wrong reasons and ended up losing. Again. The story keeps repeating itself, a never ending cycle of events that screw him over more and more each time. And it always hurts, so deep and raw that he forgets about the Mark for a few moments before it flares up again, drowning him in the too hot, gasping for the coolness that it brings with it. 

He had his chances to change, multiple over the years, but he ignored them for his own selfish desires. And now he has to live in the consequences. 

“Don’t worry, little brother. I’m sure we’ll have a lot of fun in here, especially now that you’re so small and vulnerable” Michael’s giggle blends with the thunder from the outside and Lucifer gulps and shivers in fear. 

 

~~~

Everything falls dead silent after the portal closes behind a very powerless Lucifer. The constant humming of the machinery in the bunker falling unnoticeable as Dean’s pulse threatens to make his head explode. Ever so slowly, Jack releases them from his tight grip and the older hunter has to lean heavily against the wall so that he doesn’t collapse on the ground. He breathes hard, trying to regain his sealegs. Once he can force himself to focus he spots Castiel making his way towards Jack, gathering the now sobbing kid in his arms. 

Dean turned to Sam, who seemed to be in a similar situation to his, sitting up against the wall while taking deep breaths to calm his racing heart. He looked back at the scene in front of him, where Jack gripped the back of Castiel’s coat in his fists, his face buried in the crook of the angel’s neck. As his heartbeat slowed down he was able to hear the echo of footsteps approaching them. Air finally managed to fill his lungs once he spotted Mary and John, unharmed, walking behind Castiel and Jack. 

_It’s over,_ he found himself thinking. _It’s finally over._

Both Asmodeus and Michael are dead, the wavelengths or whatever that was are closed, Jack zapped Lucifer somewhere, most likely The Cage, and Dean’s got his whole family safe and sound in the bunker, **home**. 

He has a fleeting moment where his thoughts take a dark turn and a question rises. _Is he allowed to have this?_ If so, _for how long? Until the next apocalypse? The next big bad? His next crew up?_ He panics for a few moments, finding his heartbeat picking up again. But then he meets Castiel’s eyes as he softly rocks Jack back and forth, running his fingers over the kid’s hair as he keeps crying, the sobs dying down to small whimpers. He remembered he was tired, so damn tired, and that he would take the risk. And so he did. 

He turned to Sam, making eye contact with him before looking back at his angel, slowly approaching him until he was able to wrap his arms around him and Jack. He rested his chin on top of Jack’s head, rubbing a hand over his back. His other arm was wrapped tightly around Castiel, his hand resting softly over his hip. 

Not long after he felt Sam’s ginormous arms wrapping around all three of them, later joined by Mary and a reluctant John. 

They stood there for what could’ve easily been minutes, hours, days, just hugging each other. Feeling at home. 

~~~

They let go of each other rather reluctantly. There was still a couple things left to be done but they could wait a day or two. Dean, Castiel and Jack volunteered to run into town and pick up some dinner while Sam, John and Mary stood behind to pick up the mess at the bunker. 

“I’m proud of you, kid” Dean said, glancing at the rear view mirror. Jack sat in the middle of the backseat, a sated smile lighting up his entire face. 

“Thank you, Dean” Jack said, his smile so contagious Dean found himself sporting a slight smirk on his lips. 

“You did amazing, Jack” Castiel said. Dean turned to him, his breath catching at the beautiful sight before him. 

Cas was smiling, wide and bright. When was the last time Dean had seen him like that? The way his nose scrunched up and the crows feet by his eyes multiplied hypnotised him. It was only the loud sound of the car horn behind him screaming at him that the light had turned green and was about to turn red again that forced him to look back at the road. He didn’t even noticed that his smirk had turned into a full blown smile until he caught the angel staring a few blocks from their favorite pizza place. 

“I’m so happy you two are my fathers” Jack’s voice broke through the atmosphere, shattering the moment. 

“W-what?” Dean asked, numbly. 

“You and Castiel. I know it’s not truly official until you get married but i just feel like it’s appropriate to start calling you father from now on. Or does that make you uncomfortable? Should i keep calling you Dean? Or dad? Maybe i could call you-” 

“Jack” Castiel interrupted him, turing on his seat to look at the nephilim. “What are you talking about?” 

“You two are in a relationship, right? Like in a movie! You slept in the same room, you smile and stare at each other, and i can sense the affection between you. It’s different from Sam and Dean, or Sam and you, or-”

“Ok, we get it, kid. You caught us” Dean said, clearing his throat. “Cas and i are together, but it’s still new. Would you mind just, uh, keeping it a secret for a little while?”

“Why?” Jack asked, his head tilting in a rather familiar way. 

“Well uh...”

“Dean and i need time to tell the rest of the family properly” Castiel said, keeping it simple. 

“But Sam knows” 

Dean’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. _Damn, that kid’s smart._

“Just don’t tell until we’re ready, ok?” Dean said, glancing back at the rear mirror. He made eye contact with Jack who nodded and resigned himself to lean against the window, staring at the shops that littered the main road in Lebanon. 

Dean’s gaze returned to the road with a sigh. The main, world-ending problems were gone and now he had no way of ignoring his personal life, or whatever this is he has to deal with. His dad is back from the dead, Mary seems in no rush of leaving them again, Sam looks less traumatized than usual, Jack managed to do in a few seconds what the Winchester brothers had fought for for years and Castiel…

The hunter felt something brush softly against his forearm. He turned left to see his angel gently coaxing his right hand off the steering wheel. Dean complied and soon their hands were joined in the middle of the seat. A soft smile grew on Dean’s face once again as he squeezed his angel’s hand in his. 

_Thank you_ he thought, making brief eye contact with the angel before turning back on the road, looking for a safe place to park. _Thank you for everything_

~~~

As soon as Dean, Cas and Jack left, Sam regretted not asking to come with. The tension in the war room as they picked up rogue chairs and books that had somehow fell from their shelves was unbearable. His parent’s barely even acknowledged each other’s presence as they silently cleaned up. 

Once the room was fairly descent the hunter cleared his throat loudly, gaining his parent’s attention. 

“I’ll take care of the dungeon” he said, his eyes shifting from one parent to the other. “You can stay here, rest up a bit” 

He could see the gratefulness in their eyes as he smiled a tight lipped smile and excused himself from the room, sprinting to any place other than the library. 

Sam busied himself with cleaning up whatever mess he found, either from their recent battle or just laziness, the boys still having trouble dealing with a real, solid place to call home. He cringed as he found the rests of what used to be a cheese burger under a stock of papers in one of the rooms. Really, he had to have a serious talk with Dean about leaving half-eaten food around. 

A couple minutes went by and with nothing left to do the hunter decided to go to his room, watch some Netflix and wait for the rest of his family to come back. 

~~~

John sighed. “Mary-”

“No, John” Mary interrupted, standing in front of her husband. “Let me talk first. Please” 

The ex-marine sighed, daring to make eye contact with his wife for a second. The woman standing there wasn’t the same woman he’d agreed to marry all those years ago in Reno. This woman didn’t carry the same softness in her eyes, the same careless smile and relaxed stance he’d fell in love with. This woman had some hardness to her eyes, indicating she’d seen more than she should have throughout the years. Her hands were curled in fists most of the time, grasping to some hidden anger instead of soft baby clothing and apple pies. Her lips were always resting in a straight line, hiding her emotions from the outside word instead of curling up into soft smiled whenever they made eye contact around their house. 

This woman wasn’t the idea he’d convinced himself she’d always been. Because since the moment they met he’d always known she was hiding something, yet let her to her mysterious and secretive eyes that he loved so much since he didn't think much of it. What could such a beautiful woman be hiding?

Over the years he’d resign himself to be kept in doubt. He smiled and nodded every time Mary asked him to watch over Dean because she had to run some errands by herself. He pretended not to notice the bruises that formed around her arms and torso that she always blamed on her clumsiness. He acted surprised when he took Mary to a shooting range for fun and she pretended to know nothing about guns and later proceeding to outdo him in the target practice. 

And now he knew most of what she had been so adamant to keep a secret. 

“I’m so sorry for lying to you” Mary said, looking down. “I thought i could run away. I thought i could leave this life behind and build a new one with you but…” 

“I’m glad you did” John said, sitting on one of the chairs in the room. Mary frowned in confusing, sitting on the chair next to John’s. “It’s not your fault that you were raised like this, and i understand better than anyone how much you craved that apple pie life” John smiled softly at his wife, earning back the same smile. 

“I know your life is way different than what i thought” John continued, this time keeping eye contact with her “But you’re still the same Mary i fell in love with” he reached tentatively forward, grasping one of her hands in his. “And now we are both back. We have our boys and a place to call home. How about we start over?”


	30. Happy Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family dinamics after the heat of the battle dies down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare for the biggest fluff fest :,)

The sun was starting to set by the time Dean, Castiel and Jack stepped back into the bunker, each carrying two boxes of pizza and a six-pack of beers. Dean had insisted they get different toppings each, claiming that Jack needed to find his favorite once the kid failed to choose because _‘who doesn’t have a favorite pizza topping?’_

They set up the war room, opting for paper plates instead of the usual metal ones they had in the kitchen. None of them were really in the mood to do dishes after this. In fact, you could bet they were looking forward to sleeping for a week after they fill up their stomachs with cheesy goodness. 

“Now this is a very important moment, Jack” Dean said, reaching for one of the pizza boxes. “We’re about to find out on which side of one of humanity’s most important moral debates you’re on”

“Seriously, Dean?” Sam tried to give him a bitch face but the situation was too amusing for him and he ended up with a slightly crooked smile. 

“Dean’s right, Sam. This is important” Mary said, trying to hide her smirk behind her beer. Both Sam and John raised their eyebrows.

“I don’t understand. What does pizza have to do with morality?” Cas asked, squinting at his human. 

“Everything, Cas. Everything” the hunter smirked as he turned his full attention to Jack. “Now, kid. No pressure, but this will say a lot about who you are as a person, angel, thing. You know what i mean. C’mon” 

Jack stared wide eyed as Dean opened the pizza box.

Sam rolled his eyes. “Dean, don’t be such a-” 

Dean shushed him loudly, shoving the pizza box at Jack. “Try some” 

Jack stared at the greasy pizza, hesitantly grabbing a piece. He set it on the paper plate as he eyed the toppings, wondering what kind of truth pizza could expose of him. The nephilim reached for the pizza again and closed his eyes, taking a tentative bite. He made sure to chew it meticulously, savoring each and every molecule as they danced on his tongue.

“Well? Whatcha think?” Dean asked, leaning forward on the table. 

Jack hummed, swallowing. “It’s… different. Much sweeter than the pepperoni and less salty than the italian”

“But do you like it?” Mary asked, taking another piece of vegetarian pizza. 

“I… i think i do” Jack said hesitantly. 

“You think? No, man, we need a full answer here” Dean said, taking a bite of meat lover’s.

Jack took another bite, smiling to himself. “I like it” 

Dean groaned, leaning back on his seat. Sam laughed, raising his fist in victory. 

“Seriously?! Who the hell puts pineapple on pizza?!” Dean said, gulping half of his beer.

“It’s delicious!” Sam said, reaching for a piece for himself. 

“It’s fruit! You don’t mix fruit with meat and cheese!” Dean insisted.

“You’re just too weak to handle it” Sam smirked at his brother before taking a huge bite of pizza. 

Dean coughed, almost choking on beer. “You take that back!” 

“Boys” John intervened, settling an empty bottle on the table. “Stop fighting, you’re not little kids anymore” he cleared his throat, opening another beer. Both boys frowned, exchanging looks.

“Besides, it’s pretty obvious that Dean is right. Pineapples belong in trees or whatever” John muttered before taking a sip of beer. 

“Seriously, John?” 

~~~

Sam would like to say that things ran smoothly between them, but that of course wasn’t the case. They were Winchesters after all. 

They’d dedicated an entire month to rest, get their sea legs back before eventually going back to simple hunting trips every now and then. Sam decided to get Jack his own laptop since the kid spent most of his time in his. The kid ended up locked up in his room watching as many Netflix shows as he could, sleeping only once every three days or so and eating only by Castiel’s insistence. They started to get worried when it took both Dean and Cas forcefully taking the laptop form the kid for him to shower and have an actual decent meal with them in the war room. Both men had a long, desperate chat with him, Sam pitching in for part of it, until Jack agreed to give himself time to sleep and breathe fresh air. 

Mary and John slept in different rooms, deciding to take it slow. John had many questions while Mary still felt resentment for the way he’d raised the boys. They worked on their issues like mature adults, though, talking and keeping their fighting to the bare minimum. John didn’t lose his faith, taking her on dates and willing himself to listen. Mary appreciated this, knowing how difficult it was for him to keep quiet and in turn she talked and talked and answered all the tough questions her husband asked her. Things weren’t perfect, the spark they’d felt the first time they’d met was now dulled, but it was still there. They were still family to each other and they were sure they’d get through it. 

John tried hard not to look disappointed when Mary insisted on helping some of her hunting friends by herself, or when she found easy salt and burns and left off on her own. He knew he couldn’t be joined by the hip but it still left him feeling extremely uneasy. 

The ex-marine had always admired Mary’s independence, never complaining whenever she asked to run errands by herself. But those were different times. Back then John wouldn’t have to worry about her getting hurt or even killed by whatever monster she was hunting, instead he’d just watch T.V. with baby Dean hoping Mary wouldn’t forget to bring back dinner.

Still, Mary had made it very clear that she was one of the greatest hunters out there and, as much as John hated it, she works better alone. As much as it pained him he wished her luck and asked her to call him every night. She smiled and nodded, and soon enough they learned to live with this arrangement. 

Castiel and Dean spent the first few weeks sneaking around like teenagers whenever they weren’t hunting. Dean didn’t want to admit it but he was thrilled, anticipating every opportunity to pull Cas into one of the bunker’s rooms to make out. Every night Castiel would walk around the bunker, making sure everyone was sound asleep before he slipped into Dean’s room, taking off his coats and shoes and cuddling up next to his lover. The hunter would wait for his angel, only being able to fall asleep once he had his arms around him. He’d never slept so good in his life, feeling warm and safe next to Castiel. They both loved it but couldn’t help feeling a pang of pain in not being able to express their love for each other in front of the rest of their family. 

Eventually Mary walked in on them and the truth (and Dean) came out. Sam immediately stepped forward, showing both men, but specially Dean, his support. The older hunter smiled gratefully at him, bracing himself for his parent’s reactions. 

Mary was thrilled, ranting about how she’d always thought there was something between them. Sam snorted, mentioning how he’d been tortured for years on end with their pining fest. He was grateful he’d been able to make the light hearted comment when he caught a glimpse of his father’s face. 

John’s eyes shifted between his son and the angel, a slight scowl forming in his otherwise stone cold face. His hands twitched in curled-up fists as he finally settled his gaze on the angel, stepping forward. Dean tensed up as his father towered over them. The cold silence extended for what felt like an eternity until John Winchester’s rough voice broke through it. 

“I’m going to need some time to get used to… this” he said, pointing at the space between Dean and Castiel. “And you” he made eye contact with the angel, pointing an accusing finger at him “If you ever try **anything** , i’ll find a way to slowly and painfully make you regret ever being born”

“I can assure you, i have no ill intentions with your son” Castiel said, keeping a calm but respectful stance. “My life is and will forever be devoted to his happiness” 

“Good” John growled before stepping back, making his way out of the room. 

“Well, that went better than i expected” Dean sighed, looking down. 

“He’ll come around” Mary assured him. “This is still all too new to him” 

From then on things slowly became less tense. With Jack eagerly opting to call Dean ‘dad’ and the constant smile placed on Dean’s face John’s reluctance became full acceptance. He still coughed awkwardly whenever he caught them even staring at each other, but at least the ex-marine wasn’t lashing out on either of them.

And Sam, well. He’s finally able to relax in the comfort of his home, no sudden flashbacks or guilt tormenting him. He still goes on morning runs, only to top them off with an hour in the bunker’s gym. He’d gone into town and picked up a few books, grateful to be able to read something other than lore and MOL reports and essays. The younger brother was particularly fond of sci-fi novels, especially the ones so ridiculously weird they make his life seem normal. He also bought a fancy smoothie machine, happy to be able to experiment with different combinations of fruits and veggies. Life was finally good for Sam Winchester now that Lucifer was once again locked up, this time forever. 

Everything was as perfect as it could get, and the whole Winchester family was grateful for it. 

~~~

A few months later they got a call from Jody. Her and Donna were making Claire a surprise party and of course all the Winchesters were invited. 

Which brings them back to Jody’s cabin. 

Dean and John stood by the barbeque wrestling with burger patties. Beads of sweat rolled down their faces, constantly being wiped away with the backs of their hands. Dean would’ve been grumpy, groaning and complaining as the heat of the barbeque mixed with the heat of the sun made his ice cold beer turn disgustingly warm extremely fast, if it wasn’t for the sound of laughter coming from his very happy family. 

“Anyways, when did you learn how barbeques work?”John asked, taking a swig of beer. “Cuz this ain’t something you learn from watching shitty daytime T.V.”

Dean sighed, looking down at the grass. Yet another detail they’d left out of their story. From Sam drinking demon blood and Dean becoming a knight of Hell to Dean attempting the apple pie life and Sam not looking for Cas and Dean in purgatory. Many questions had been left unanswered, and thankfully John could sense the true darkness hiding behind them that he was able to leave the matters like that. Still, such an innocent question hid a big part of his life, a part that allowed him to understand basic things about himself. Without those, who knows if he would’ve ever been comfortable enough to be himself as he is now. 

With a deep intake of air, Dean answers. “I once had the chance to get out” 

John raises his eyebrows in surprise, waiting for Dean to continue. 

“Well, not really getting out because shit was still going down, even if i wasn’t aware of it” Dean pauses, taking the last sip of beer before shoving the empty bottle by the trash bags they’d set behind him. “I lived with a woman, Lisa, and her son Ben”

When he made yet another pause, John spoke up. “Where you and this Lisa together?” 

“Yeah” Dean said, turning to the barbeque to turn the patties before continuing. “I’d met her a few years earlier… even thought the kid was mine” a bitter smile took over his face. “But Lisa insisted he wasn’t… anyways i stayed with them for a year or so, living in pure domestic bliss before i inevitably put them both in danger and well…” 

“You were in love with her” it wasn’t a question. 

Dean looked up at his father. “It’s… complicated. I loved her, just not like that. I don’t know, it just doesn’t compare i guess” 

“Doesn’t compare to him?” John asked, nodding towards the angel where he sat in a plastic chair with the rest of their family clad in Dean’s clothes at the hunter’s insistence ( _’You can’t go to a party dressed in a crappy suit, c’mon man’_ ). 

“Yeah” Dean said, looking down trying to hide the slight blush that took over his face and neck. He was suddenly startled by John’s hand softly resting on his shoulder. He looked up at his father with wide eyes, his beer bottle almost slipping out of his hand. 

“Dean. I’m really happy for you, you know i am” John said, a reassuring smile on his face. “I understand that angel has done some stupid shit for you, just as you’ve done some stupid shit for him. Not many hunters get a happy ending, but i’m pretty sure you’ll get one with Castiel by your side” 

Dean smiled, another roll of laughter echoing the warm feeling that surged through him. He spared a look at his family, all their wide smiles as they told stories and generally goofed around. His smile twitched at the sight of Claire, her arm stretched around Kaia as she discussed some T.V. show plot with Jack. Patience and Alex jumping in from time to time. Jody, Donna and Mary spared occasional looks at them, rolling their eyes fondly at the teens. 

And finally, his eyes fixed on his angel. He looked so relaxed, Dean’s cotton black shirt sticking to him in odd places covered in sweat that exposing the defined muscles hiding beneath. His face was bright, oh so bright, with his messy dark curls sticking on his forehead, draping over his blue blue _blue_ eyes. His gummy smile so wide it threatened to split his face in half. And then he laughed one of those laughs that have become, to Dean’s enjoyment, so common yet they still flipped Dean’s stomach and made his knees weak every time they happened. Castiel leaned his head back, exposing that perfect neck Dean loved to litter with kisses every single morning. His Adam’s apple bobbed as a perfect low rumble erupted from his chest. His tongue peaked from behind his teeth and his nose crunched up as the crows feet around his eyes jumped into sight. 

It was so perfectly adorable Dean thought he might die. His breath caught in his throat as he laughed along, turning to his father for a split second. 

“Thanks, dad” he clapped the man’s shoulder before turning back to his angel. “Mind if i…?”

“Go on, i’ll man the fort for you”

And with that Dean made his way to his angel, the sound around them muffling down as they locked eyes. 

This time there was no need for Dean to question if he was dead again, because this was definitely heaven. 

**The end.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo that was cheesy. Thank you all so much for your comments and kudos!!! Your support means everything to me. Without it i would've given up halfway through tbh 
> 
> If you have any prompts of any kind, any ship, drop by on my Tumblr page @call-it-a-miracle


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